Piaget studied how children develop mental models for the world around them as they grow, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. Show “He was interested not in the information or knowledge acquired, but the structures and mental frameworks into which that knowledge could be applied,” says Dr. Dimitriu. His four stages of cognitive development outline not what material is learned, but a deeper level of how the child interacts with the world. Piaget observed children by playing games with them, asking them questions and devising tests to learn how they were thinking, says Brandy Porche, a licensed professional counselor at Mindpath Health in Dallas, Texas. “He believed that as a child’s brain develops and their experience increases, they move through these four broad stages of development,” says Porche. While the amount of time spent in each stage can vary from child to child, Piaget theorized that every child progresses through each stage in the same order. Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 Years)Goal: Object Permanence Infants can be seen exploring the world through sensory observation, says Dr. Ajayi. Dr. Dimitriu adds they are egocentric, or unable to see the world from any perspective other than their own. “As the name implies, children learn through their senses and learn to use motor functions to manipulate the world around them,” he says. As infants become more mobile, they build on their interactions with the spatial, visual and tactile worlds, says Dr. Ajayi. “An infant will advance from shaking a rattle to shaking other toys or using the rattle in new, innovative ways,” he says. The goal of the sensorimotor stage is for a child to develop object permanence, or the realization that objects exist independent of their interactions with them, says Dr. Ajayi. For example, a child starts to recognize that when a ball is dropped in front of them, it’s actually on the ground rather than no longer in existence simply because it’s out of sight. “Symbolization occurs when infants are able to visualize an object of interest mentally regardless of its physical location,” says Dr. Ajayi. Once they develop object permanence, children transition to the next stage of development. Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 Years)Goal: Symbolic Thought This stage is the beginning of primitive conceptualization, says Dr. Ajayi, meaning children are still unable to think logically or make simple deductions, but will start to imitate others, play make-believe and represent parts of their world by drawing. A child who drops a glass that then breaks won’t have any sense of cause and effect. They might believe that the glass was ready to break rather than believing that it broke because of their actions, adds Dr. Ajayi. Meanwhile, despite having a rudimentary sense of good and bad, children in this stage cannot handle moral dilemmas—they often believe in immanent justice, or that punishment after wrongdoings is inevitable. Though children typically begin to speak in this stage, they’ll remain unable to see the world from another’s perspective, says Dr. Dimitriu. Animalism, the ability to attribute living qualities to non-living things, such as the feelings of a toy, also occurs during this stage. “Symbolic play begins, and there is some level of abstraction beyond the physical appearance of items. All four-legged animals may be dogs, and a table may be identified as a chair,” says Dr. Dimitriu. Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 Years)Goal: Logical Thought Children can begin to make logical manipulations of concrete—but not theoretical—objects, says Dr. Dimitriu. They begin to serialize, order and group things into classes based on common characteristics, and they begin to reason and follow rules and regulations with marked improvements in mood regulation, adds Dr. Ajayi. “Egocentric thought is further replaced by operational thought as children start to be able to see things from someone else’s perspective,” he says. A healthy respect for rules develops in this stage as well, which involves knowing when rules have exceptions. Children of this age who do not gain this understanding are at increased risk of developing obsessive-compulsive behavior, as they can become overly invested in rules and regulations, says Dr. Ajayi. Conversation is also a highly important concept gained in this stage, as well as the ability to recognize that although the shape of an object may change, it still contains the same amount of mass. Reversibility is also recognized, says Dr. Ajayi, as children learn objects can turn into something and then back again, such as ice and water. Formal Operational Stage (11 Years and Older)Goal: Abstract Reasoning At this stage, children begin to develop abstract thinking, deductive reasoning and an overall increased ability to think systematically and symbolically. Not all children reach the formal operational stage, says Dr. Ajayi. “Those who don’t will demonstrate marked inabilities to perform mathematical calculations, think creatively, use abstract reasoning or imagine the outcome of particular actions. They also fail to develop deductive logic, a skill that is critical in the math and science,” he says While adolescents who don’t reach the formal operational stage may make decisions that result in scholastic or legal issues, those who do reach this stage tend to show interest in more abstract studies such as philosophy, religion, ethics and politics, says Dr. Ajayi. Children also develop the capacity for systematic thinking in the formal operational state, says Porche. “Kids’ thinking starts with a hypothesis that is deduced to testable inferences, and they are able to isolate and combine variables to come to a logical conclusion.” Adolescents are also able to assess the logic of statements without the existence of real-world circumstances. “They are capable of abstract thinking that goes beyond the here and now as they use rules, principles and theories to assess cause and effect when considering possibilities and realities,” she says. Medically reviewed by Akilah Reynolds, PhD — Written by Zia Sherrell, MPH — Updated on December 22, 2021 Piaget’s stages of development is a theory about how children learn as they grow up. It includes four distinct stages, each with different milestones and skills. Share on PinterestLauren Lee/Stocksy Jean Piaget was a renowned psychologist and cognitive theorist in the 20th century who focused on child development. His theories came from observing children and recording their development. He brought attention to the idea that children are not just small adults, and he argued that the way they think is fundamentally different. Piaget believed that children act as “little scientists,” exploring their environment to gain understanding. He thought that children do this naturally, without any adult intervention. He put forth the idea of distinct developmental stages through which children learn language, memory, and reasoning. This article explains Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development, key concepts, and how people can use them to help children learn and develop. The following table outlines Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development: Babies from birth to 2 years of age use their senses and bodily movements to understand the world around them, which is why this stage is known as the sensorimotor stage. A newborn’s first method of communication is through basic reflex actions such as sucking, flailing their arms, or shaking their head. They use their five senses of sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing to explore their surroundings and their body. Infants gather information about these experiences, learning how different things make them feel. They also learn to tell the difference between people, objects, textures, and sights. During this stage, children also start to understand the concept of cause and effect. They begin to remember that certain actions will have a specific outcome and use this to plan their actions in advance. At around 6 months, they will begin to understand object permanence. This means the child knows that objects continue to exist even if they can no longer see, hear, or feel them. When a child has object permanence, it means they can now form a mental image, or representation, of an object instead of only reacting to experiences in their immediate environment. ExamplesCertain behaviors can indicate that a child has developed some of the key skills from this stage. For example, a child who understands cause and effect may intentionally shake a rattle to make a noise or cry in order to gain attention. A child who understands object permanence will:
During this stage, children build on object permanence and continue to develop abstract mental processes. This means they can think about things beyond the physical world, such as things that happened in the past. They also imagine and think symbolically, and they begin to display this ability through their language and behavior. The five key behaviors children display during this period are:
The primary function of speech at this age is to externalize thinking, rather than for communication. Children may talk in a stream of consciousness and develop more sophisticated language skills as they move through this stage. Piaget believed that children remain egocentric throughout the preoperational stage. This means they cannot understand that other people think in different ways to them or that events that take place are not always related to them. ExamplesSome examples a child is at the preoperational stage include:
Piaget theorized that at this stage, children further develop and master abstract thought and become less egocentric. They can now understand that events do not always relate to them and that others have different points of view. Children also become able to apply logical, concrete rules to physical objects. However, they cannot yet do the same thing for abstract concepts. The concrete operational phase centers around three elements:
ExamplesSome signs a child has learned the skills from this stage include:
In this final stage of cognitive development, children learn more sophisticated rules of logic. They then use these rules to understand how abstract concepts work and to solve problems. The child can analyze their environment and make deductions. They can create theories about what is possible and what might happen in the future, based on their existing knowledge. This is known as hypothetical-deductive reasoning. It is an essential part of the formal operational stage. It allows someone to consider “What if?” A person with this skill can imagine multiple solutions and potential outcomes in a given situation. ExamplesA child at the formal operational stage can think of numerous ways of solving a single problem, then choose the best option based on how logical or successful it is likely to be. For example, if a child has to create a model of the solar system using materials they have at home, there are a number of ways they could use them. Thinking of several possibilities and then using the one that is the most logical or effective shows they have hypothetical-deductive reasoning skills. Children at this stage can also examine and evaluate their own thoughts and actions. For example, if they argue with a friend, they can consider how their opinions or behavior might have contributed. They can then decide how to approach the situation. The following sections explain several important aspects of cognitive development that Piaget proposes in his theory. SchemaPiaget included the idea of a schema into his theory of cognitive development. A schema is a category of knowledge, or mental template, that a child develops to understand the world. It is a product of the child’s experiences. For example, a child can develop a schema of a dog. Initially, the word “dog” only refers to the first dog they meet. However, over time, the word comes to represent and include all dogs. When a child puts this schema together, they may call every similar animal a dog before they master the category. Schemas constantly grow and adapt as children gain new experiences, giving them the structure to acquire knowledge. Piaget suggested this occurs in two ways: assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation means a child uses a preexisting schema to understand a new situation. For example, if they meet a new breed of dog, they may include it in their schema for “dog,” even if it looks different to dogs they have previously encountered. Accommodation means a child adapts a pre-existing schema to fit a new experience or object. For example, if a child encounters a cat, they may add it to their schema for “dog” until someone explains that dogs and cats are different. They will then adapt their schema to this new information. EquilibrationAccording to the theory, equilibration is what motivates children to continue through the stages of cognitive development. When a child assimilates new knowledge, their worldview is inaccurate, so they are in a state of disequilibrium. This state motivates the child to accommodate new information and reach a state of equilibrium. Piaget made many significant contributions to theories about child development, and many are still influential today. However, others have criticisms of his ideas. Firstly, the way Piaget conducted his research would not meet the standard of research academics adhere to today. He tended to observe and interview small numbers of children in natural settings, rather than in study conditions. This meant that it was possible for the small sample size or the environment to create bias. Additionally, he carried out his research in Western Europe and did not take into account the impact that different social and cultural practices might have on child development. While some academics agree that there are developmental stages, they may not be as distinct or concrete as in Piaget’s theory. Research has demonstrated that some skills develop earlier than he believed. For example, a 2021 article notes that egocentrism appears to resolve much earlier than Piaget believed, at 4 to 5 years of age rather than 7 to 11. Piaget’s theory centers on the concept that children need to explore, interact, and experiment to gain information and understand their world. Based on this idea, educators and caregivers can help children learn by allowing them to:
In later stages, word puzzles, problem-solving tasks, and logic puzzles help children’s cognitive development. If a child is not exhibiting the behaviors or skills set out in Piaget’s theory at the exact ages he predicts, it is not necessarily cause for concern. However, parents and caregivers should speak with a pediatrician if they have any worries. Piaget’s stages of development is a theory that children go through distinct stages from birth to adulthood, with each stage bringing new skills and milestones as they develop their knowledge of the world. Piaget believed that children develop through a continuous drive to learn and adapt schemas, which are mental templates that help them understand things. His ideas still have a considerable impact on child psychology and approaches to education. However, there are criticisms of Piaget’s theory, as well as alternative models of child cognitive development that also came from the 20th century, such as the ideas of Lev Vygotsky and Maria Montessori. Last medically reviewed on December 22, 2021 Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. |