1. “Mommy, I am not that hungry today so cut my hot dog into only four pieces instead of six because six pieces are just too many!"
2. Teddy’s mom gave him three dimes and she gave Lisa a quarter and a nickel. Lisa cried since Teddy had more money than Lisa.
3. Two 10 ounce cups were on the counter. One was taller than the other wider cup. The dad poured 10 ounces of milk into each of the two cups. When the children came into the kitchen, they argued over who was going to drink from the taller cup.

In each of the three examples above, the children are displaying what Jean Piaget called the lack of conservation. You and I know that if you have one hot dog and you cut this hot dog into four pieces or into nine, it is still the same hot dog. In the second example, 30 cents is the sum of each of their coins, but since Teddy has three coins, Lisa believed she had less money. In the final example, even though a cup looks different, 10 ounces is 10 ounces no matter the shape of the cup.

Jean Piaget A developmental psychologist who theorized that people all enter into four stages of cognitive development.

Lack of Conservation The concept that the principle remains the same despite changes in shape.

We are going to look at Jean Piaget's theory on Cognitive Development~