12.1.2

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development 2

Test yourself on Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development 2

After reading these notes, test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development: Concrete Operational

Piaget summarised four distinct stages of development of cognition (thinking). They are based on intellectual development and how they correlate with age.

Concrete operational (7-11 years)

Concrete operational (7-11 years)

  • Children in this stage no longer show egocentrism, irreversibility or centration.
  • Children’s language and logical thinking continue to solidify.
  • They are able to do conservation tasks.
Conservation tasks

Conservation tasks

  • An example of a conservation task is the five penny task:
    • Imagine five pennies, even spaced about 1cm apart.
    • Then they are arranged 5cm apart.
  • The child would understand that there is still the same amount of pennies even though they are further apart.
  • A child unable to demonstrate conservation would not understand this.
Class inclusion

Class inclusion

  • In this stage, children demonstrate class inclusion.
  • This is when they are able to classify objects/things in multiple categories and understand that the object can fit in two categories simultaneously.
    • For example, a parrot is both a ‘bird’ and an ‘animal’.
    • Another example is their mother is both a ‘mother’ and a ‘woman’.
Abstract reasoning

Abstract reasoning

  • Children are not yet able to do abstract reasoning.
  • This is not seen until the final stage of formal operational.

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development: Formal Operational

Piaget summarised four distinct stages of development of cognition (thinking). They are based on intellectual development and how they correlate with age.

Formal operational (11+ years)

Formal operational (11+ years)

  • Logical thinking, vocabulary skills, problem solving and abstract thinking are solidified in this stage.
  • Children can understand hypothetical situations, theories and develop hypotheses.
Examples in practice

Examples in practice

  • For example:
    • Children can better understand complex and abstract scientific concepts like atoms and gravity.
    • Children can create hypotheses in their science lessons to predict what will happen.
Jump to other topics
1

Social Influence

2

Memory

3

Attachment

4

(2026 Exams) Psychopathology

5

(2027 Exams) Clinical Psychology & Mental Health

6

Approaches in Psychology

7

Biopsychology

8

Research Methods

8.1

Research Methods

8.2

Scientific Processes

8.3

Data Handling & Analysis

8.4

Inferential Testing

9

Issues & Debates in Psychology (A2 only)

10

Option 1: Relationships (A2 only)

10.1

Relationships: Sexual Relationships (A2 only)

10.2

Relationships: Romantic Relationships (A2 only)

10.3

(2026 Exams) Relationships: Virtual (A2 only)

10.4

(2027 Exams) Relationships: Online (A2 only)

11

Option 1: Gender (A2 only)

12

Option 1: Cognition & Development (A2 only)

13

Option 2: Schizophrenia (A2 only)

14

Option 2: Eating Behaviour (A2 only)

15

Option 2: Stress (A2 only)

16

Option 3: Aggression (A2 only)

17

Option 3: Forensic Psychology (A2 only)

18

Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

Practice questions on Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development 2

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
Answer all questions on Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development 2

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium