A child demonstrating an understanding of reversibility would recognize that if water is poured from a tall, thin glass into a short, fat one, the action can be reversed. By pouring the water back into the original tall glass, the initial state is restored, and the quantity of water remains unchanged.

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Reversibility is the understanding that actions can be reversed. In the concrete operational stage, this applies not only to physical objects returning to their original form but also to mental operations. For example, a child understands that mathematical transformations can be undone, such as recognizing that addition is the opposite of subtraction or that multiplication is the inverse of division.

Reversibility in the Concrete Operational Stage

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Example of Reversibility: Pouring Water

An 8-year-old child understands that if 4 + 5 = 9, then 9 - 5 must equal 4, without having to perform the subtraction calculation. This ability to recognize that a mathematical operation can be undone by its opposite demonstrates which of the following cognitive principles?

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