PIAGET: CAN CONSERVATION BE

TAUGHT?

Chandler Johnson

PRESENTATION SET-UP

Life of Piaget Piaget’s Genetic Epistemology Theory Words to Know Can Conservation Be Taught? Results and Implications

WHO IS JEAN PIAGET?

Born: 1896Died: 1980

Developed the fields of cognitive theory and developmental psychology

Started in the field of psychology after studying under Carl Jung in 1918

Studied at the Sorbonne and, ultimately, the Binet Laboratory under Théodore Simon

Established what he called “Piaget’s Genetic Epistemology” throughout his 60+ years of research

PIAGET’S GENETIC EPISTEMOLOGY

THEORY

Sensorimotor Stage(0-2 years old)

Pre-Operational Stage (2-6 years old)

Concrete Operational (7-12 years old)

Formal Operational (12+ years old)

WORDS TO KNOW

Schema- “the mental representation of an associated set of perceptions, ideas, and actions”

Assimilation- “the use of previous schema to deal with a new object or situation”

Accommodation – “when the use of previous schema doesn’t fit and you must adjust your definition to deal with a new object or situation”

Equilibration- “the stage of learning that occurs once your schema has faced an accommodation, assimilates the schema and then, understands it”

Conservation- “the ability to keep in mind what stays the same and what changes in an object after it has changed aesthetically”

HYPOTHESIS

Children will be able to conserve at a younger age than stated by Piaget due to

repetition.

CONSERVATION EXPERIMENT

12 participants (3-4 and 7-8 year olds) 6 boys 6 girls

Visited twice If they could conserve during

the first visit, they were not retested during the second visit.

Tested on conservation of number and conservation of volume

(over a three week

period)

Final participants

3 boys (3-4; testing both)3 girls (3-4; testing both)1 boy (7-8; only testing

volume)2 girls (7-8; only testing volume)1 girl (7-8; testing both)

CONSERVATION OF NUMBER

20 pennies in two lines of 10

Ask “Does each row have the same amount of pennies?”; “Why?”

Spread out the second row so it is longer than the first.

Ask “Does each row have the same amount of pennies?”; “Why?”

8 quarters in two lines of 4

Ask “Does each row have the same amount of quarters?”; “Why?”

Spread out the second row so it is longer than the first.

Ask “Does each row have the same amount of quarters?”; “Why?”

FIRST VISIT SECOND VISIT

CONSERVATION OF VOLUME

3 glasses; 2 of the same size; one much taller and skinnier

Ask “Can you fill each of these smaller glasses with the same amount of water?”, then verify.

Ask “Which glass has more water in it?”

Ask “Can you pour one of the smaller glasses into this other glass?”

Ask “Which glass has more water in it?” “Why?”

3 glasses; 2 of the same size; one much shorter and wider

Ask “Can you fill each of these smaller glasses with the same amount of water?”, then verify.

Ask “Which glass has more water in it?”

Ask “Can you pour one of the smaller glasses into this other glass?”

Ask “Which glass has more water in it?” “Why?”

FIRST VISIT SECOND VISIT

RESULTS

FIRST VISIT SECOND VISIT

Number Volume Number Volume

A (7 years old)

YES NO - YES

B (4 years old)

NO NO NO NO

C (4 years old)

NO NO YES NO

D (3 years old)

NO NO NO NO

E (8 years old)

NO NO YES NO

F (4 years old)

NO NO NO NO

G (7 years old)

YES NO - NO

H (4 years old)

NO NO YES NO

I (8 years old)

YES NO - NO

J (8 years old)

YES YES - -

K (3 years old)

NO NO NO NO

L (7 years old)

YES YES - -

LIMITATIONS

Too few participants Difficult to keep participants separate Couldn’t control for any outside factors

that may have improved or hindered their second test

Possible language barrier for the younger participants