Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) Practice Exam 2026 - Free AEPA Practice Questions and Study Guide

Children begin to understand conservation of mass and volume during the concrete operational stage, which typically occurs between the ages of 7 to 11 years. At this stage, children develop the ability to think logically about concrete events and understand that certain properties of objects, such as volume and mass, remain the same despite changes in their form or appearance.

For instance, when liquid is poured from a tall, thin container into a short, wide one, a child in this stage can recognize that the amount of liquid remains constant, demonstrating their understanding of conservation. This cognitive advancement is essential as it marks a transition from intuitive thinking to a more logical and organized form of reasoning.

In contrast, during the sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to around 2 years, children are focused on physical interactions and sensory experiences without a conceptual understanding of conservation. The preoperational stage, from about 2 to 7 years, involves symbolic thinking but is characterized by egocentric thought and a lack of understanding of conservation. Finally, in the formal operational stage, which begins around 12 years of age, individuals are capable of abstract and hypothetical reasoning, but the understanding of conservation is already developed by this point. Thus, the concrete operational stage is pivotal