A young child is shown two identical balls of clay. When one is rolled into a long rope, the child perceives it to contain more clay. This child is unable to understand:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The child is unable to understand conservation, which is the principle that the amount of a substance remains the same even if its shape or arrangement is changed. In this scenario, although the amount of clay is the same in both balls, the child perceives the rolled ball to have more clay because it is longer and thinner.

A Young Child Is Shown Two Identical Balls of Clay