AP Psychology Practice Test 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The principle that remains consistent despite changes in the forms of objects, according to Piaget, is conservation. This concept refers to the understanding that certain properties of objects, such as volume, mass, and number, remain the same even when their shapes or appearances are altered. For example, when water is poured from a short, wide container into a tall, narrow one, conservation helps a child understand that the amount of water does not change, despite its different appearance.

This principle is a crucial component of Piaget's theory of cognitive development and typically emerges in children around the concrete operational stage, which occurs approximately between the ages of 7 to 11. Understanding conservation signifies that a child has moved beyond the limitations of preoperational thought, where they may have focused solely on one dimension of an object (such as height or width) without grasping the overall quantity remains unchanged.