Final answer:
Piaget's concrete operational stage does not best describe the cognitive functioning of preschool children, who are in the preoperational stage according to Piaget's theory. Preschoolers are known for symbolic play and are not yet capable of logical operations like conservation, which become evident during the concrete operational stage. The correct option is b) False
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement Piaget's concrete operational stage best captures the cognitive functioning of the preschool child is false.
Preschool children, typically between the ages of 3 and 5, are actually in Piaget's preoperational stage of cognitive development.
During this stage, children engage in symbolic play and begin to use language, but they are not yet able to perform logical mental operations such as understanding the concept of conservation, a skill that develops during the concrete operational stage.
Piaget's concrete operational stage occurs from around 7 to 11 years old and is characterized by the ability to think logically about concrete events and understand complex concepts such as mathematical transformations and conservation.
It is a more advanced stage in cognitive development than what would be seen in a preschool child. An example of a child in the concrete operational stage might involve understanding that the amount of pizza remains the same regardless of how it's sliced, a skill not typically mastered until around age 7. The correct option is b) False