what are the four stages of cognitive development proposed by jean piaget?
What are the four stages of cognitive development proposed by Jean Piaget?
Answer:
Jean Piaget, a renowned Swiss psychologist, proposed four stages of cognitive development that children go through as they grow. These stages are as follows:
1. Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 years): In this stage, infants develop their sensory skills and learn through their senses and motor actions. Object permanence, the understanding that objects exist even when they cannot be seen, is a crucial milestone in this stage.
2. Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 years): During this stage, children start to use symbols to represent objects but lack the ability to perform logical operations. They engage in pretend play and develop language skills. However, thinking is egocentric, meaning they struggle to see things from different perspectives.
3. Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years): At this stage, children become more logical in their thinking. They start to understand concepts like conservation, reversibility, and cause and effect relationships. Abstract thinking is still developing.
4. Formal Operational Stage (11 years and older): In this stage, individuals can think abstractly, use logic to solve problems, and think about hypothetical situations. They can consider multiple perspectives and engage in deductive reasoning. This stage represents mature cognitive development.
These stages help understand how children acquire knowledge and develop their thinking skills as they progress through different ages.