Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The principle of conservation in Piaget's concrete operational reasoning refers to the understanding that certain properties of objects, such as volume, mass, and number, remain constant or unchanged despite transformations or changes in their appearance. This ability typically develops between the ages of 7 and 11, which allows children to comprehend that if you pour water from a tall, skinny glass into a short, wide glass, the amount of water remains the same even though it looks different. This understanding signifies a key cognitive achievement in the concrete operational stage, as children begin to grasp that physical properties are not affected by superficial alterations.

In contrast, the other concepts mentioned do not accurately capture the essence of conservation. For instance, the idea that properties change with the appearance of an object contradicts the principle of conservation itself. The inability to classify objects relates more to younger cognitive stages prior to concrete operations, and the belief that all objects are animate represents an anthropocentric misconception that does not pertain to conservation.