In watching a concrete operational child and a formal operational adolescent solve the pendulum problem, what difference would be evident?
A) The concrete operational child will be completely unable to solve the problem.
B) The formal operational adolescent will solve the problem intuitively, without experimentation.
C) The formal operational adolescent will systematically test alternative hypotheses.
D) None; both will use similar strategies.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The formal operational adolescent, having reached a stage of intellectual development that involves systematic and logical thought, would be expected to approach the problem in a more analytical manner and systematically test alternative hypotheses. The concrete operational child, on the other hand, has only recently acquired the ability to conserve, or understand that physical properties remain the same even when appearances change, and is still developing the ability to reason systematically. Therefore, it is less likely that they would be able to solve the problem.

In Watching a Concrete Operational Child and a Formal Operational