Critical thinking when engaged in science problem solving around even simple tasks such as the Piagetian volume conservation task is a complex endeavor. Tasks such as the conservation task often require the interaction of multiple cognitive systems. Parity judgment, retrieval, and lateral thinking are three examples of such systems interacting…

An investigation of the role of an atomistic view of material substance in the development of conservation of continuous quantity in young children. Piagetian tasks using blocks, coarse salt and water were presented to a total of 180 kindergarten, first, and second grade children. Results indicate that tasks using blocks were the easiest. (ED)

One major purpose of this investigation was to determine and compare the effects of three different perceptual situations (screening, neutral, and conflict) on kindergarten and first grade children's ability to use the transitive property of the equivalence relation "same length as" and the two order relations "longer than" and…

Results of an experiment investigating the effects of laterality, movement, and language on 160 first grade children's ability to conserve multiple-space relations seem to be consistent with neurophysiological evidence attesting to the asymmetrical functioning of the cerebral hemispheres. (Author/WY)

Twenty first-graders observed an adult model perform a quantity conservation task. The children were then tested on a series of generalization tasks immediately, after one week, and after three months. The results suggested that the social experience of observation appeared to activate a cognitive restructuring of the children's mental operations.…

Results of this study help to account for some of the disparity between Genevan and non-Genevan data and suggest the need for caution in inferring processes leading to conservation from the types of reason given. (Author/CB)

It was concluded that movie presentation did not destroy the essence of the conservation task and that it gave promise of the development of an effective means of standardizing Piagetian testing when used in conjunction with a series of follow-up questions. (Authors)

Four levels of quantitative comparisons based on Piagetian task analysis and three IQ levels were used to partition a population of 341 first grade children. Each child was then tested on a set of addition facts and a set of addition problems which varied according to the use of aids or transformation. (JG)

Kindergarten and first-grade children conserved physical attributes of inanimate objects more easily than the physical attributes of animate objects. Significant conservation differences between various animate objects also were found. (Author/RL)

Tests of intelligence, music audiation, auditory conservation, and visual conservation were administered to two first-grade classes. Data revealed that auditory conservation isn't significantly related to visual conservation but is significantly related to music aptitude, to IQ, and to the interaction of music aptitude and IQ. Instructional…

The purpose of this study was to explore among first grade children the relationship between achievement in mathematics and the understanding of the principles of conservation, seriation, and categorization as these are defined by Jean Piaget. Research instruments included those designed by Piaget and the Greater Cleveland Mathematics Tests.…