Which ability involves maintaining an object’s identity even when its external characteristics change, as per Piaget’s theory?

The ability to maintain an object's identity despite changes in its external characteristics is known as conservation, as posited in Piaget's theory of cognitive development. This concept is primarily observed in the concrete operational stage, typically occurring between the ages of 7 and 11. During this stage, children begin to understand that certain properties of objects, such as volume, mass, and number, remain the same even when their outward appearance changes.

For instance, when liquid is poured from a short, wide glass into a tall, thin glass, children who have grasped the concept of conservation will recognize that the amount of liquid remains unchanged despite the difference in height and shape. This understanding is crucial for children's cognitive development, as it reflects their growing ability to think logically about physical properties of objects.

The other options, while related to aspects of cognitive development, do not specifically pertain to the ability to maintain object identity in the face of external changes. Centration refers to the tendency to focus on one aspect of a situation while neglecting others, identity permanence is not a term typically used in Piaget's framework, and reversibility involves understanding that actions can be reversed to return to a previous state, but it doesn't directly address maintaining identity through changes.