Question

Howie and his little sister Faye are each given one large cookie. Their mother breaks Faye's cookie into four pieces to help her eat it more easily. Howie immediately begins to cry, saying that it isn't fair for Faye to get so many cookies when he has only one. Howie is showing____________

Answer 1

Howie is showing a lack of understanding of the principle of quantity conservation, a cognitive development stage where children do not realize that quantity remains consistent despite changes in form or appearance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Howie is showing a lack of understanding of quantity conservation, which is a cognitive development concept introduced by psychologist Jean Piaget. Howie's reaction suggests that he does not understand that breaking a cookie into multiple pieces does not increase the total amount of cookie; it remains the same amount as before. In other words, Howie perceives the number of pieces as being equivalent to the quantity, hence his sense of inequity.

At his stage of development, Piaget would describe this as a preoperational stage characteristic where children are not yet able to comprehend the principle of conservation. Howie's reasoning is influenced by the immediate appearance of the situation rather than the underlying logic, a common occurrence in children typically between the ages of 2 and 7. This is essential knowledge in the field of child development and helps caregivers and educators understand how young minds perceive and interpret the world around them.