What is the correct order of Piaget's four stages from first to last?

What is the correct order of Piaget's four stages from first to last?

• A. Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Formal Operations, Concrete Operations
• B. Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operations, Formal Operations
• C. Sensorimotor, Concrete Operations, Preoperational, Formal Operations
• D. Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operations, Postformal Operations

Answer: (B)

The sequence shows Piaget’s progression from learning through direct interaction with the world to more advanced forms of thinking. In the sensorimotor stage, infants learn by doing and exploring, and object permanence develops—the understanding that things still exist even when not seen. In the preoperational stage, symbolic thinking and language emerge, but thinking is still egocentric and not yet capable of logical operations like conservation. In the concrete operational stage, children begin applying logic to concrete objects and events, mastering concepts like reversibility and conservation. In the formal operational stage, abstract and hypothetical reasoning becomes possible, enabling systematic problem solving. So the order is sensorimotor, followed by preoperational, then concrete operational, and finally formal operations. The other options misplace stages (for example, placing formal reasoning before concrete or before preoperational) or introduce a non-Piaget stage, which isn’t part of his original four stages.

The sequence shows Piaget’s progression from learning through direct interaction with the world to more advanced forms of thinking. In the sensorimotor stage, infants learn by doing and exploring, and object permanence develops—the understanding that things still exist even when not seen. In the preoperational stage, symbolic thinking and language emerge, but thinking is still egocentric and not yet capable of logical operations like conservation. In the concrete operational stage, children begin applying logic to concrete objects and events, mastering concepts like reversibility and conservation. In the formal operational stage, abstract and hypothetical reasoning becomes possible, enabling systematic problem solving.

So the order is sensorimotor, followed by preoperational, then concrete operational, and finally formal operations. The other options misplace stages (for example, placing formal reasoning before concrete or before preoperational) or introduce a non-Piaget stage, which isn’t part of his original four stages.