In the stage where children are roughly 2 to 6-7 years old and cannot perform mental operations, what stage is described?

In the stage where children are roughly 2 to 6-7 years old and cannot perform mental operations, what stage is described?

• A. Sensorimotor
• B. Preoperational
• C. Concrete operational
• D. Formal operational

Answer: (B)

Think about Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. Around ages 2 to 6–7, children are in the preoperational stage, where they begin to use symbols and language but cannot yet perform mental operations. Mental operations are reversible mental actions—like understanding that water’s amount stays the same even if you pour it into a different-shaped container—that younger children haven’t developed. So they can think in intuitive, captivating ways (they may engage in pretend play and use words symbolically) but their reasoning tends to be egocentric and focused on one aspect of a problem at a time. It’s only later, in the concrete operational stage, that they start performing logical operations with concrete objects, and even later, in the formal operational stage, that abstract reasoning appears.

Think about Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. Around ages 2 to 6–7, children are in the preoperational stage, where they begin to use symbols and language but cannot yet perform mental operations. Mental operations are reversible mental actions—like understanding that water’s amount stays the same even if you pour it into a different-shaped container—that younger children haven’t developed. So they can think in intuitive, captivating ways (they may engage in pretend play and use words symbolically) but their reasoning tends to be egocentric and focused on one aspect of a problem at a time. It’s only later, in the concrete operational stage, that they start performing logical operations with concrete objects, and even later, in the formal operational stage, that abstract reasoning appears.