Question

While working with Belen, you counted out ten bears on one plate.While counting, you spaced the bears apart from each other. On another plate, you counted out another ten bears and while counting, you placed them practically on top of each other in a pile. You asked the child, "Does one plate have more?" Belen nodded "yes" and pointed to the plate with the ten bears spread widely apart. This shows that Belen ______
A. does not know how to count.
B. is in the formal operational stage of development.
C. is demonstrating equilibrium.
D. has not developed the ability to conserve.

Answer 1

While working with Belen, you counted out ten bears on one plate.While counting, you spaced the bears apart from each other. On another plate, you counted out another ten bears and while counting, you placed them practically on top of each other in a pile. You asked the child, "Does one plate have more?" Belen nodded "yes" and pointed to the plate with the ten bears spread widely apart. This shows that Belen is in the formal operational stage of development.

Answer: Option (B) is correct

Explanation:

The formal operational stage of development begins at the age of twelve and lasts until adulthood i.e 18 years. It is the last stage of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. A child tries to solve the problem systematically.They try to make use of logic as much as they can.

Children at this stage very hurriedly plan about the systemic method which can be used in solving the problem. They learn to reason at this stage. They learn deductive reasoning which helps them to get the outcome. This deductive reasoning plays a very important role in math.