Roger is shown two piles of sand and says that each pile has the same amount. However, when one pile is flattened with a shovel, he now claims emphatically, "The flat pile has less sand." Based on this information, Roger is probably in Piaget's _______ stage of development.
A) preoperational
B) concrete operations
C) formal operations
D) sensorimotor

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the preoperational stage occurs from ages 2 to 7. During this stage, children have not yet developed the ability to understand complex mental operations or conservation (the idea that an object remains the same even if its appearance changes). Roger's belief that the flattened pile has less sand shows that he lacks conservation and is therefore in the preoperational stage.

Roger Is Shown Two Piles of Sand and Says That