Baxter Blog 1

 Jean Piaget's conservation of mass theory is one that sparks an interest for me. When looking at a child's development it is interesting to see how children begin to understand that quantity, volume and mass remain the same regardless of the change in appearance. A child's ability to thinking logically increases as they get older. When two equal size balls of playdoh are presented to younger children such as 4-5 year olds they will say each one is the same. When one of the playdoh balls is squished or made into another shape the child will say the other shaped ball has more because it is longer/taller. As children begin to develop 6-11 years old they begin to notice it is the same amount of playdoh, but just shaped differently. They begin to think independently and understand the underlying principal that quantity, volume and mass do not change.  This theory falls under the deterministic model. Where the functionalist believe that order and balance in society is important....