Ace the 2025 OSAT Mild-Moderate Disabilities (129) Test – Dive into Success!

The concrete operational stage, which occurs roughly between the ages of 7 and 11, is the phase of Piaget's cognitive development where children start to think logically about concrete events. In this stage, children gain a better understanding of the concept of conservation—the idea that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or arrangement. They also become capable of performing operations that are reversible, which is a key element of logical thinking.

During this stage, children's thinking becomes more organized as they develop skills in classifying, ordering, and categorizing objects based on their attributes. They are able to solve problems in a more logical manner, although their thinking is still tied to tangible, concrete situations rather than abstract concepts. This ability to think logically about concrete objects sets this stage apart from the other stages, where thinking may be based more on propositions or hypothetical scenarios, as seen in the formal operational stage.

The other stages—sensory motor (focused on sensory experiences and motor activities) and pre-operational (characterized by egocentrism and magical thinking)—do not emphasize logical thinking in the same way as the concrete operational stage.