61. A researcher shows a four-year-old child two bags of plastic action figures. One bag contains ten red figures, and the other contains ten blue figures. The researcher opens the bags and places their contents on a table, leaving the blue figures in a pile while spreading the red ones apart so they take up the majority of the table's surface. The researcher asks the child, 'Which group is larger?' The child responds, 'The red ones.' This interaction demonstrates which of the following?
Answer: B
The child does not display conservation.
The child's response indicates a lack of understanding of the concept of conservation, which refers to the ability to recognize that quantity does not change even when the arrangement of objects does. In this scenario, the child perceives the spread-out red figures as a larger group simply due to their arrangement, rather than recognizing that both groups contain the same number of figures.
A) The child does not display object permanence.
Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen. This choice is incorrect because the child's ability to recognize and respond to the presence of both bags indicates they possess object permanence.
B) The child does not display conservation.
This option is correct as it directly relates to the child's misunderstanding of quantity. The arrangement of the red figures leads the child to mistakenly believe there are more red figures than blue, showcasing a failure to grasp that quantity remains the same despite changes in arrangement.
C) The child does not display assimilation.
Assimilation involves integrating new information into existing cognitive frameworks. This choice is incorrect because the child's response does not pertain to their ability to assimilate new information, but rather to their misunderstanding of quantity.
D) The child displays accommodation.
Accommodation is the process of changing one's cognitive framework to incorporate new information. This choice is incorrect in this context, as the child's response does not demonstrate an adjustment to their understanding of quantity; instead, it highlights a misunderstanding.
Conclusion
The correct answer is that the child does not display conservation, as evidenced by their response that misrepresents the equal quantity of figures based solely on their arrangement. The other options fail to address the core issue of the child's misunderstanding of how quantity is unaffected by spatial arrangement, which is central to the concept of conservation.