An investigator shows a child two balls of clay of equal size and then squashes one of them and asks the child whether the squashed ball has more clay than the round ball. The experimenter is testing whether the child has the concept of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The experiment is testing the child's understanding of conservation, which is the ability to understand that the amount of a substance remains the same even when its shape or appearance changes. The squashing of the ball of clay alters its appearance, but not the amount of clay it contains.

An Investigator Shows a Child Two Balls of Clay of Equal