The awareness that an object does not change its basic properties or characteristics even when its appearance is altered is known as

Conservation

Explanation:Conservation is the ability to understand that a substance will not chance its volume or shape (basic properties ) even when it is altered. Children in their earliest childhood usually don't understand this concept for example if you pour the same volume of water in a long tall glass and in a thin short glass , the quantity of water still remains the same irrespective of the glass size. Another example is when you cut the apple into pieces for youngest children this may mean the quantity of the apple has increased because they don't understand that the quantity remains the same even when the apple is altered.