Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Stage At this stage of itsdevelopment, the child gains knowledge from sensory experiences as well as manipulation of objects. In this case, the child developed a realization that the pet fish belong to them because it had been manipulating the pet for some time. According to Piaget’s propositions, the child developed a feeling that the pet fish was permanently in its life. There is chance that the child thought that the pet had a name because it was a separate individual just like the child itself.

Preoperational Stage

The child at this level learns through pretend play but still struggles to make logic as well as understanding other people’s perceptions. Therefore, the child developed two perceptions of the pet fish. the first is the existence of the fish and the second is that it was alive. However, the child was unaware of the feelings that its father attached to the presence of the fish.

Concrete Operational Stage

The child at this level develops a logical thinking but tends to be less egocentric. It also acquires views about how unique its thoughts are far away from other people’s feelings as well as opinions. Therefore, the child has a feeling that the pet fish is dead because it is motionless and that somebody must have killed it.

Formal Operational Stage

The child has an increased logic, reasoning and the full knowledge of abstract ideas. At this stage, possible solutions to problems are formulated, and the child can perceive the world around them scientifically. Therefore, the child has a concrete feeling that there is somebody who must have killed the pet fish. The child will, therefore, develop a sense that the father did not kill the fish because he had been away from the room for long. Therefore, the development of the child’s cognitive skills makes it able to make logical and rational thoughts over time.

References

McLeod, S. (2012) Jean Piaget. Simply Psychology. Retrieved April 20, 2015 from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.