Children's meanings of ‘more’

When preschool children are questioned about which of 2 groups has more objects in it, they do not always interpret the question as it was meant by the adult. Suggested are several possible misinterpretations which are quantitative in nature--i.e., in which children are assessing certain amounts, but not those required by the experimenter's question--& some of which are nonquantitative. The ambiguity of the children's answers makes it difficult to decide which interpretation they are using in any particular problem, & this confusion is illustrated through examples. AA