Several years ago, a major ketchup manufacturer experimented with selling ketchup in different colors, including green, purple, and others. The idea was that kids would be excited by different colors, even though extensive blind taste tests indicated that the flavors of the different products were identical. The product failed and was discontinued after only a few years. Children just did not seem to be able to accept that it was still ketchup even though it was not red. This sort of reliance on the appearance of an object is most typical of ____ children.
A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operational
D) formal operational

Question

Several years ago, a major ketchup manufacturer experimented with selling ketchup in different colors, including green, purple, and others. The idea was that kids would be excited by different colors, even though extensive blind taste tests indicated that the flavors of the different products were identical. The product failed and was discontinued after only a few years. Children just did not seem to be able to accept that it was still ketchup even though it was not red. This sort of reliance on the appearance of an object is most typical of ____ children.
A) ​sensorimotor
B) ​preoperational
C) ​concrete operational
D) ​formal operational

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Preoperational children are typically focused on the appearance of objects and struggle to understand that changes in appearance do not necessarily change the nature of the object. This is known as centration, where one focuses on only one aspect of an object and ignores other characteristics. In this case, children were unable to accept that ketchup could be a different color and still have the same taste.

Several Years Ago, a Major Ketchup Manufacturer Experimented with Selling