Stages of Development

Stages of Development


Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years):

Overview: In this stage, infants learn about the
world primarily through their senses and motor activities. They begin to
interact with their environment and develop basic cognitive skills.
Key Characteristics:
Object Permanence: Understanding that objects
continue to exist even when they cannot be seen.
Exploration: Infants engage in play by
manipulating objects, which helps them learn about cause and effect.
Symbolic Play: Even at this early stage,
children may begin to engage in simple forms of symbolic play, such
as pretending a block is a car.


Example in Dental Context: A child may play with
toys while sitting in the dental chair, exploring their environment and
becoming familiar with the setting.



Pre-operational Stage (2-6 years):

Overview: During this stage, children begin to use
language and engage in symbolic play, but their thinking is still
intuitive and egocentric. They struggle with understanding the
perspectives of others.
Key Characteristics:
Animism: The belief that inanimate objects have
feelings and intentions (e.g., thinking a toy can feel sad).
Constructivism: Children actively construct
their understanding of the world through experiences and
interactions.
Symbolic Play: Children engage in imaginative
play, using objects to represent other things (e.g., using a stick
as a sword).


Example: A child might pretend that a stuffed
animal is talking or has feelings, demonstrating animism.



Concrete Operational Stage (6-12 years):

Overview: In this stage, children begin to think
logically about concrete events. They can perform operations and
understand the concept of conservation (the idea that quantity doesn’t
change even when its shape does).
Key Characteristics:
Ego-centrism: While children in this stage are
less egocentric than in the pre-operational stage, they may still
struggle to see things from perspectives other than their own.
Logical Thinking: Children can organize objects
into categories and understand relationships between them.
Conservation: Understanding that certain
properties (like volume or mass) remain the same despite changes in
form or appearance.


Example: A child may understand that pouring water
from a short, wide glass into a tall, narrow glass does not change the
amount of water.



Formal Operational Stage (11-15 years):

Overview: In this final stage, adolescents develop
the ability to think abstractly, reason logically, and use deductive
reasoning. They can consider hypothetical situations and think about
possibilities.
Key Characteristics:
Abstract Thinking: Ability to think about
concepts that are not directly tied to concrete objects (e.g.,
justice, freedom).
Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning: Ability to
formulate hypotheses and systematically test them.
Metacognition: Awareness and understanding of
one’s own thought processes.


Example: An adolescent can discuss moral dilemmas
or scientific theories, considering various outcomes and implications.