Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) Early Childhood Education Practice Test

During which stage of cognitive development do children begin to think logically about concrete events?

1. Preoperational stage

2. Concrete operational stage

3. Formal operational stage

4. Sensorimotor stage

The correct answer is: Concrete operational stage

The reasoning behind this answer lies in the developmental theories proposed by Jean Piaget, who identified four stages of cognitive development. The concrete operational stage, which typically occurs between the ages of 7 and 11, marks a significant shift in children's thinking patterns. During this stage, children begin to understand the concept of logical operations, which allows them to think logically about concrete events and situations. In this stage, children develop skills such as classification, seriation (the ability to arrange objects in order), and conservation (understanding that quantity does not change even when its shape does). They can engage in activities that require logical reasoning but are still limited by their inability to think abstractly about hypothetical scenarios. This represents a critical progression in cognitive abilities as children begin to manipulate concrete information rather than relying solely on intuition or perceptions as seen in earlier stages. The other stages identified in the context of the question represent different cognitive capabilities. The preoperational stage focuses on symbolic thinking and egocentrism, the formal operational stage includes abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking, and the sensorimotor stage centers on learning through sensory experiences and motor actions. Therefore, selecting the concrete operational stage accurately reflects the developmental milestone where children start to apply logical thinking to tangible experiences.