Piaget's theory posits a developmental progression through which order of stages?

• A. Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational
• B. Sensorimotor, Concrete Operational, Preoperational, Formal Operational
• C. Preoperational, Sensorimotor, Formal Operational, Concrete Operational
• D. Concrete Operational, Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Formal Operational

Answer: (A)

This item tests the order of Piaget's stages of cognitive development. In Piaget’s view, children progress through four distinct stages in a fixed sequence, each with unique ways of thinking. Infants start in the sensorimotor stage, learning through direct interaction with the world and gradually acquiring object permanence. Next comes the preoperational stage, where symbolic thought and language develop, but thinking remains egocentric and not yet capable of logical operations. Then comes the concrete operational stage, in which children begin to think logically about concrete objects and events, grasp conservation, and understand relationships. Finally, the formal operational stage brings abstract and hypothetical-deductive reasoning.

This sequence—sensorimotor, then preoperational, then concrete operational, then formal operational—aligns with the established progression. The other arrangements place stages in an order that contradicts how these abilities typically unfold (for example, placing concrete operational before preoperational or placing later stages before earlier ones), so they don’t match Piaget’s developmental trajectory.