Growth and Development Q 33
A nurse instructor is preparing to conduct a seminar about Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development. The current topic is the concrete operational stage. Which of the following milestones during this stage should be included in the discussion, except?
A. Ability to think logic about objects and events
B. Ability to understand that an object does not affect its number, length, volume, or mass when it changes appearance or shape
C. Increased classification skills
D. Ability to exhibit propositional thought
E. Ability to perform mathematical problems in both addition and subtraction
Correct Answer: D. Ability to exhibit propositional thought.
This is achieved during the formal operational stage. Propositional thought is the ability of an individual to evaluate the logic of prepositions without referring to real-world circumstances.
Option A: Piaget determined that children in the concrete operational stage were fairly good at the use of inductive logic (inductive reasoning). During this stage, children begin to think logically about concrete events. Their thinking becomes more logical and organized, but still very concrete.
Option B: Another key development at this stage is the understanding that when something changes in shape or appearance it is still the same, a concept known as conservation. They begin to understand the concept of conservation; that the amount of liquid in a short, wide cup is equal to that in a tall, skinny glass, for example.
Option C: Children begin using inductive logic, or reasoning from specific information to a general principle. This growing ability to mentally manipulate information and think about the thoughts of others will play a critical role in the formal operational stage of development when logic and abstract thought become critical.
Option E: All these things are evident during the concrete operational stage. While children are still very concrete and literal in their thinking at this point in development, they become much more adept at using logic.