In Piaget's theory, a child who is about 11 years old can see relationships and reason abstractly. This describes which cognitive ability?

In Piaget's theory, a child who is about 11 years old can see relationships and reason abstractly. This describes which cognitive ability?

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

Answer: (A)

This describes formal operational thinking. In Piaget’s view, as children reach the formal operational stage, they begin to think abstractly and reason about relationships and possibilities that aren’t tied to concrete objects or experiences. They can hypothesize, test ideas, and manipulate variables mentally, which is what “seeing relationships and reasoning abstractly” reflects. The other stages involve more concrete or symbolic thinking that relies on direct objects or lacks systematic logical operations, so they don’t capture this level of abstract reasoning.

This describes formal operational thinking. In Piaget’s view, as children reach the formal operational stage, they begin to think abstractly and reason about relationships and possibilities that aren’t tied to concrete objects or experiences. They can hypothesize, test ideas, and manipulate variables mentally, which is what “seeing relationships and reasoning abstractly” reflects. The other stages involve more concrete or symbolic thinking that relies on direct objects or lacks systematic logical operations, so they don’t capture this level of abstract reasoning.