Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) Early Childhood Education Practice Test

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What cognitive skill is demonstrated when a child arranges blocks from smallest to largest?

  1. Classification

  2. Seriation

  3. Conservation

  4. Sorting

The correct answer is: Seriation

The cognitive skill demonstrated when a child arranges blocks from smallest to largest is seriation. This skill involves the ability to arrange items in a sequential order based on a specific attribute, such as size, color, or other measurable dimensions. In this scenario, the child is organizing blocks according to their size, which showcases their understanding of relative measurement and the capacity to perceive differences in size. Seriation is an important developmental milestone in early childhood as it reflects a child's growing ability to understand and manipulate relationships among objects. Mastering this skill helps children develop mathematical thinking, as they learn to sequence and compare and can be foundational for more complex reasoning as they grow. The other options relate to different cognitive processes. For instance, classification refers to grouping items based on shared characteristics but does not necessarily imply an ordered sequence. Conservation involves understanding that certain properties of objects remain the same despite changes in form or appearance. Sorting, while related, generally refers to grouping items without a specific sequential or ordered arrangement. Hence, arranging blocks from smallest to largest directly exemplifies seriation.