Piaget\'s Conservation Among the Subjects

¶ … PIAGET'S CONSERVATION

Among the subjects aged 5 -- 7 years of age, conservation was observed in 17% of subjects; non-conservation was observed in 36%; and transitional responses were observed in 47% of subjects.

Among the subjects aged 8 -- 10 years of age, conservation was observed in 57% of subjects; non-conservation was observed in 7%; and transitional responses were observed in 36% of subjects. Among the subjects aged 11 -- 13 years of age, conservation was observed in 84% of subjects; non-conservation was observed in 1%; and transitional responses were observed in 15% of subjects.

Among all subjects, conservation rates observed for males were 49%, non-conservation rates observed for males were 14%, and transitional observation rates for males were 37%. Among all subjects, conservation rates observed for females were 43%, non-conservation rates observed for females were 22%, and transitional observation rates for females were 35%.

Analysis

The results of this experiment support the hypothesis that the conservation phenomenon described by Piaget occurs during early and middle childhood and that the actual age at which this milestone is reached varies in the population. Predictably, the lowest rates of conservation were observed in the youngest group of subjects and the highest rates were observed in the oldest group of subjects. Moreover, the fact that the observed rates of conservation increased by 21% (from 36 to 57%) between the youngest and the second youngest group of subjects while the respective observed transitional rates decreased 11% (from 47 to 36%) strongly suggests that the peak rate of achievement of conservation occurs precisely at the border (i.e. between ages of 6 and 9 years of age). The fact that conservation was observed at higher rates among males, that non-conservation was observed at higher rates among females, and that transitional rates were roughly equal suggests that males achieve conservation earlier than females in general.

Implications

The implications of this research are that the most relevant age range for pinpointing the most common age of achievement of conservation is between the ages of 6 and 9 years of age. While the observed differences between males and females were less marked than the relative differences between different age groups, the results of the study also suggest that male children may be expected to achieve conservation earlier than females of comparable ages.

Limitations and Possible Areas of Further Experimentation