Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to examine young children's development of concepts about equal distribution. Preschoolers (N=288: 3 to 6 years old) participated in an individual experiment in which, on each trial, each child was given 12 wooden chips and asked to put an equal number of chips on each of the plates in front of the child. The main results were as follows: (1) correct performance increased with age; (2) Although a cyclic distribution strategy, in which the children distributed chips in cycles was used by children in all age groups, it enhanced the probability of correct responses in only the older children; (3) 2 strategies not previously mentioned in the published literature were observed: a one-round distribution strategy, in which all chips were distributed in 1 round, and an empty strategy, in which at least 1 plate was left empty; and (4) the one-round distribution strategy includes a strategy in which the child knew the correct solution in advance of putting the chips on the plates. This strategy was named “unit strategy.” It did not necessarily increase with age.
