What is the classic early adolescent cognitive change per Piaget?

• A. Concrete operational thinking continues into adolescence.
• B. Move toward Formal Operational Thinking and abstract reasoning.
• C. No change in cognitive abilities.
• D. Enhanced memory encoding.

Answer: (B)

Adolescents typically shift from relying solely on concrete experiences to formal operational thinking, which unlocks abstract reasoning. This change lets them consider hypothetical scenarios, think about possibilities, and reason systematically with multiple variables rather than just what they can see or touch. It explains why teens can tackle algebra, discuss abstract concepts like justice, and plan experiments by testing hypotheses. The other patterns—continuing concrete operational thought into adolescence, no change, or a focus on memory encoding—don’t capture this qualitative leap Piaget identified as characteristic of early adolescence.