In Piaget's theory, which stage covers infancy to about age 2?

• A. Sensorimotor
• B. Preoperational
• C. Concrete operational
• D. Formal operational

Answer: (A)

In this stage, thinking is tied to concrete, physical interaction with the world. Infants learn by doing and sensing, moving from reflexive actions to purposeful motor activities that help them explore and master their environment. They build knowledge through circular reactions—repeating actions that bring them pleasant results—and gradually coordinate these actions to achieve goals. A key milestone is object permanence, the understanding that people and objects still exist even when out of sight, which marks a major shift from purely reflex-driven behavior to more intentional interaction. Language and abstract, symbolic thought aren’t part of this period; the child’s thought remains concrete and rooted in immediate experiences. This időframe ends as symbolic thinking begins to emerge in the next stage, around age two.