piaget's 4 stages of cognitive development

Formal operational (stage 4)

abstract reasoning. ages 12- death. Developmental Phenomena: abstract logic, potential for mature moral reasoning

Preoperational (stage 2)

representing things with words and images; using intuitive rather then logical reasoning. ages 2 to about 6 or 7. Developmental phenomena: pretend play, egocentrism

concrete operational (stage 3)

thinking logically about concrete events; grasping concrete analogies and performing arithmetical operations. ages 7-11. Developmental phenomena: conversation, mathematical transformation

Sensorimotor (stage 1)

experiencing the world through senses and actions (looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping). This stage occurs from birth to nearly 2 years. Developmental phenomena: object permanence, stranger anxiety