Anxiety Disorders and Stress Q 46
According to Piaget, a 5-year-old is at what stage of development:
A. Sensorimotor stage
B. Concrete operations
C. Pre-operational
D. Formal operation
Correct Answer: C. Pre-operational
Preoperational stage (2-7 years) is the stage when the use of language, the use of symbols and the concept of time occur. The foundations of language development may have been laid during the previous stage, but it is the emergence of language that is one of the major hallmarks of the preoperational stage of development. At this stage, kids learn through pretend play but still struggle with logic and taking the point of view of other people. They also often struggle with understanding the idea of constancy.
Option A: Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years) is the stage when the child uses the senses in learning about the self and the environment through exploration. During this earliest stage of cognitive development, infants and toddlers acquire knowledge through sensory experiences and manipulating objects. A child’s entire experience at the earliest period of this stage occurs through basic reflexes, senses, and motor responses.
Option B: Concrete operations (7-12 years) when inductive reasoning develops. While children are still very concrete and literal in their thinking at this point in development, they become much more adept at using logic. The egocentrism of the previous stage begins to disappear as kids become better at thinking about how other people might view a situation. During this stage, children also become less egocentric and begin to think about how other people might think and feel. Kids in the concrete operational stage also begin to understand that their thoughts are unique to them and that not everyone else necessarily shares their thoughts, feelings, and opinions.
Option D: Formal operations (2 till adulthood) is when abstract thinking and deductive reasoning develop. The final stage of Piaget’s theory involves an increase in logic, the ability to use deductive reasoning, and an understanding of abstract ideas. At this point, people become capable of seeing multiple potential solutions to problems and think more scientifically about the world around them. The ability to think about abstract ideas and situations is the key hallmark of the formal operational stage of cognitive development. The ability to systematically plan for the future and reason about hypothetical situations are also critical abilities that emerge during this stage.