Imagine That You Give 5-Year-Old Richard a Simple Arithmetic Problem

Multiple Choice

Imagine that you give 5-year-old Richard a simple arithmetic problem. "I have two toy soldiers in my hand," you tell him and show him the soldiers you are holding. "But there are also three toy soldiers over there on the table," you say and point to additional soldiers across the room. "If I put all of the toy soldiers in a basket, how many would I have altogether?" How is Richard most likely to respond to the problem?

A) He is likely to use his fingers to try to solve the problem.
B) He is likely to pause for a few seconds and then say, "Five."
C) He is likely to conclude that the larger number of soldiers-in this case, three-is the correct answer.
D) He is likely to give you a puzzled expression, as 5-year-olds have virtually no understanding of the process of addition.