According to Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory, in the______ stage, children can reason logically as long as reasoning can be applied to specific examples. a. sensorimotor b. formal operational c. concrete operational d. preoperational
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is c. concrete operational.
In Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory, the concrete operational stage occurs roughly between the ages of 7 and 11. During this stage, children develop the ability to perform logical operations but are limited to concrete, tangible situations. They can understand cause and effect, solve problems, and organize objects into categories, but these abilities are tied to direct, observable examples.
At this stage, children gain several cognitive abilities, such as conservation—the understanding that quantity remains the same even when its shape or appearance changes. For instance, a child understands that pouring liquid from a tall, narrow glass into a short, wide glass doesn’t change the amount of liquid. They also develop the ability to classify objects into hierarchical categories, understanding relationships between sets and subsets.
However, children in the concrete operational stage still struggle with abstract or hypothetical reasoning. They can think logically about concrete events and problems, but they may find it challenging to apply logical reasoning to abstract concepts or situations that are not directly tied to their experiences. This limitation differentiates them from children in the formal operational stage, who can reason abstractly and hypothetically.
In contrast, the sensorimotor stage (a) involves the development of object permanence and sensory exploration in infants. The preoperational stage (d), which occurs before concrete operational thinking, involves symbolic play and egocentric thinking, where children have difficulty understanding others’ perspectives. The formal operational stage (b) emerges later, typically during adolescence, where individuals can think abstractly, logically, and systematically about hypothetical situations.