Piaget’s Stages

Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete, and formal operations. I will explain each stage and also provide an example about the stage from my own development. Sensorimotor phase is when infants learn to differentiate themselves for objects and others, as they interact with the world through their senses and movements. An example of this stage through my own development is, I used to twist and play with my hair when I was tired this made my parents realize I was tired, even though I did not use my words to explain I needed a nap. Preoperational thought is when young children display an increased symbolic thinking by linking their world with words and images. I would pretend to make supper for my dad when I was young I applied my knowledge of language to use my imagination. Concrete operation is when children reason logically about concrete events and can classify objects in their world into different settings. I played house or Barbies but I understood it was not real and it was made up. I knew it was not reality. Formal operation is when adolescents are capable of reasoning more logically and in abstract and idealistic ways. I wanted to stay out later than my parents told me to come home is an example of formal operation as I knew the consequences if I stayed out later and I could reason out the pro and cons of the situation. I think people are able to go beyond Piaget’s last stage of cognitive development, as people are able to think into the far future. I think my knowledge has expanded beyond Piaget’s last stage as I can think into the far future and set goals and try to achieve those goals. I have a goal of being an elementary teacher. I set a goal and I am working hard to achieve that goal. It will take four years to complete that goal but I can still see myself in a classroom teaching young students. I also think about being married and having children but I do not want to do that right now. Those things are in the future but I am still able to think about them.  

This is a picture of me at age 5 going to my first day of kindergarten. According to Piaget I would be at the preoperational stage. I am beginning to think symbolically and able to think through language, but I am making decisions through intuition, as I am not able to fully think about the decision I am making. I am going through egocentrism, as I think everything is centered around me. I cannot comprehend that different people are experiencing something different than I am. I also probably have not attained conservation yet.