We have looked briefly at the research conducted by Piaget and his theory of cognitive development. The study by Samuel & Bryant replicates one of Piaget’s studies with a crucial change.

Describe the typical Piagetian task to test for conservation of volume (you might find it easier to draw pictures to help you remember!)

Outline Samuel and Bryant’s criticism of this..

Write a hypothesis for this study and identify the independent and dependent variables.

Describe the THREE conditions of this experiment.

This experiment used independent measures. What does this term mean?

The researchers also used THREE types of task with each child. These were conservation of mass (plasticine), conservation of number (counters) and conservation of volume (beakers of water). Each child was tested 4 times on each task - giving a total of 12 trials for each child.

Complete the results table below

NB - numbers in article are MEAN errors on all tests (maximum = 12, minimum =0)

Do these results support Samuel & Bryant’s hypothesis? Explain your answer.

What does this table tell you about the effect of  AGE on ability to conserve?

The article also suggests that ability to conserve depends on the type of conservation task (mass, number and volume).  Which task did the children find the easiest and which the most difficult?

This study offers both support and criticisms of Piaget’s original work. Summarise these in the table below: