Stage Age Characteristics Goal

Object permanence
Motor activity without use of symbols. All
Sensorimotor Birth to 18–24 - The main goal at this stage is establishing an understanding of object
things learned are based on experiences, or
months old permanence — in other words, knowing that an object still exists even
trial and error.
if you can’t see it or it’s hidden.

Symbolic thought
Development of language, memory, and - The main achievement of this stage is being able to attach meaning to
Preoperational 2 to 7 years old imagination. Intelligence is both egocentric objects with language. It’s thinking about things symbolically.
and intuitive. Symbolic thought is a type of thinking where a word or object is used
to represent something other than itself.

Operational thought
More logical and methodical manipulation - The main goal at this stage is for a child to start working things out
Concrete
7 to 11 years old of symbols. Less egocentric, and more inside their head. This is called operational thought, and it allows kids
operational
aware of the outside world and events. to solve problems without physically encountering things in the real
world.

Abstract concepts
Use of symbols to relate to abstract - Piaget believed that people of all ages developed intellectually. But he
Adolescence to
Formal operational concepts. Able to make hypotheses and also believed that once a person reaches the formal operational stage,
adulthood
grasp abstract concepts and relationships. it’s more about building upon knowledge, not changing how it’s
acquired or understood.