Piaget's stages
MCAT glossary · Psychological, Social & Biological Foundations of Behavior
Definition
Sensorimotor (0-2y, object permanence), Preoperational (2-7y, egocentrism), Concrete operational (7-11y, conservation), Formal operational (11+, abstract reasoning).
Piaget's stages in plain English
Piaget mapped out how kids' thinking upgrades in four big stages as they grow, like software getting new features. First (0-2, 'sensorimotor'), a baby learns things still exist when hidden — peek-a-boo stops being magic. Next (2-7, 'preoperational'), kids talk and imagine but are 'egocentric,' assuming everyone sees the world exactly as they do. Then (7-11, 'concrete operational') they grasp 'conservation' — pouring the same juice into a tall skinny glass doesn't make it more juice — and finally (11+, 'formal operational') they can reason about abstract 'what ifs' and hypotheticals, not just things they can touch.
Sign up free: all 171 MCAT terms as flashcards, plus practice questions with full explanations →
Related MCAT terms
MCAT practice questions · MCAT flashcards · MCAT study guide