Question

How would the responses of an 8 year old differ from the responses of a 3 year old when faced with a typical conversation task?

Answer 1

Piaget's theory of conservation is a cognitive theory based on a series of conservation tasks conducted by Piaget that tested children's mental ability to understand physical operations of objects that when these objects undergo a physical transformation, their properties (mass, volume, number) remain the same.

Preoperational stage - This stage begins at age 2 and last until age 6. Children in this stage are egocentric i.e, they think that only their point of view exists and that others also see things as they see it. They lack the mental ability to interrelate between objects and understand physical operations.

Concrete Operational Stage - It begins at age 7 and lasts until age 11. Children at this stage are able to think logically. They start thinking more rationally. They have an improved understanding of the physical world.

Difference in the responses of an 8 year old and a 3 year old when they are faced with a typical conservation task

Task - Two cups similar in shape filled with same amount of liquid. The children are asked if both the cups have same amount of liquid. After this liquid in one of the cups is poured onto a taller, skinnier glass; the children are asked if now both the cups have the same amount of liquid.

8 year old would say that the amount of liquid is same in both the scenarios whereas a 3 year old would say that the amount of liquid is different.