VCE Psychology Practice Questions

Question 1

Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development. Explain how a child in the pre-operational stage would respond differently from a child in the concrete operational stage when asked to complete a conservation of volume task.? (4 marks)

Answer 1

A child in the pre-operational stage (approximately 2–7 years old) is likely to fail the conservation of volume task because they focus on only one aspect of the situation (centration) and are influenced by how things look rather than logical reasoning. For example, if water from a short, wide glass is poured into a tall, narrow one, they may say the taller glass has more water because it “looks bigger.”

Question 2

Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development. Explain how a child in the pre-operational stage would respond differently from a child in the concrete operational stage when asked to complete a conservation of volume task. Part 2

Answer 2

In contrast, a child in the concrete operational stage (approximately 7–12 years old) can conserve volume and understand that the amount of water remains the same despite changes in the container’s shape. This demonstrates their ability to use logical thinking and decentration.