You arrange two rows of pennies so they are equal in length.A child views the rows and states that s/he has the same amount of pennies.You spread out the pennies in the bottom row so it is longer than the top row.The child now states that the bottom row has more pennies.This child is in which of Piaget's stages?
A)sensorimotor
B)preoperational
C)formal operational
D)concrete operational

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This child is demonstrating the preoperational stage of cognitive development, which occurs between ages 2 and 7. During this stage, children are unable to understand the principle of conservation, which means they do not understand that the amount of an object can remain the same even if its appearance changes. In this scenario, the child initially believed the two rows were equal in amount, but when the pennies were spread out to appear longer, the child was unable to understand that the amount remained the same and assumed there were more pennies in the longer row. After the concrete operational stage (ages 7-11), children are able to understand the concept of conservation.

You Arrange Two Rows of Pennies So They Are Equal