A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

At which stage do children begin to understand concepts like counting and classifying according to similarity?

1. Sensorimotor stage

2. Preoperational stage

3. Concrete operational stage

4. Formal operational stage

The correct answer is: Concrete operational stage

Children begin to understand concepts like counting and classifying according to similarity during the concrete operational stage, which typically occurs between the ages of 7 and 11 years. At this stage, children develop the ability to think logically about concrete events and can grasp the idea of conservation, which involves understanding that quantity doesn’t change despite changes in shape or appearance. They can also perform operations such as sorting objects into categories, counting, and understanding the relationship between different sets. In contrast, during the sensorimotor stage (the first stage, from birth to about 2 years), children learn through sensory experiences and motor activities but have not yet developed the ability to perform operations in their minds. The preoperational stage, which follows the sensorimotor stage (from about 2 to 7 years), sees children developing language and beginning to engage in symbolic play, but they still lack the ability to think logically and are egocentric in their thinking. Lastly, in the formal operational stage (from approximately 12 years and onwards), individuals can think abstractly and hypothetically, but it is beyond the age at which counting and classifying begin to be understood. Thus, the correct answer highlights the specific stage during which these foundational cognitive skills develop.