During the concrete operational stage, children demonstrate the ability to...

The concrete operational stage, as defined by Jean Piaget, typically occurs between the ages of 7 and 11. During this stage, children begin to think logically about concrete events. One of the key developments is the understanding of conservation, which is the realization that quantity does not change even when its shape does. For example, children in this stage understand that if you pour the same amount of water into two different shaped containers, the amount of water remains the same, even though it looks different.

This ability to comprehend conservation demonstrates that children can think logically about physical properties and are no longer misled by appearances. They can also classify objects and understand the concept of reversibility in terms of operations. Other concepts such as egocentrism and the ability to think abstractly emerge later, in the subsequent stages of cognitive development. Consequently, the ability to understand conservation in the concrete operational stage is a hallmark of cognitive growth, emphasizing the transition from intuitive to more logical thinking.