When do Children really understand conservation?
McGarrigle, J. and Donaldson, M. (1974)
Altaf Korimbocus
This study was done to see if young children really understood number conservation. This was based on a study carried out by Piaget, where children were presented with some counters that were separated and than with the same amount of counters but this time they were pushed together, and asked if there were less counters than before. McGarrigle and Donaldson thought that children did know that there was the same amount of counters but in Piagets’ experiment the children may have thought that Piaget wanted them to say that there were less counters. To solve this McGarrigle and Donaldson made it seem that the counters were pushed together accidentally rather than on purpose. In the control condition 80 children were used, using the Piagets’ method, where the experimenter pushed the counters together. The same children were used in the experimental condition where the children were presented with two rows of counters but this time the participants were told that a ‘naughty teddy’ had ran across the table and pushed the counters together. They were than asked there were the same amount of counters or less. The results showed a considerable difference, in Piaget’s condition 16% answered correctly whereas in the experimental condition 62% got the question right.