Question

A child demonstrates that she understands the idea of object permanence and egocentrism but fails to understand the principle of conservation. In the context of the Piagetian stages, she is most likely in the ________ stage.

Answer 1

Answer:

In the context of the Piagetian stages, she is most likely in the preoperational stage.

Explanation:

According to Piaget, the preoperational stage of cognitive development is the second stage, taking place from 2 to 7 years of age. Children at this stage are able to work with symbols, but are still unable to do logical (concrete) thinking.

One of the principles children at this stage are still unable to understand is conservation - the fact that the appearance of something changes, but its quantity remains the same. Children who are able to conserve understand that, if you pour one liter of water from a bottle into a big bowl, the amount of water is still the same one liter. A child at the preoperational stage would not comprehend that.