When children are capable of abstract thinking, they have reached the formal operational stage of cognitive development according to Piaget. This stage typically begins around age 11 and continues through adulthood. At this stage, individuals can think logically about abstract concepts, engage in hypothetical reasoning, and understand complex ideas.
Piaget's stages of cognitive development are sensorimotor (0-2 years), preoperational (2-7 years), concrete operational (7-11 years), and formal operational (11+ years). These stages describe the sequential development of children's thinking processes from simple reflexes to more complex and abstract thinking.
Piaget was a developmental psychologist who focused on cognitive development in children. He is best known for his theory of cognitive development, which describes how children's thinking evolves as they grow.
The formal operational stage, which typically occurs during adolescence, is characterized by abstract thinking and the ability to form hypotheses and theories. This stage represents a heightened ability for logical and deductive reasoning.
The stage you are referring to in Piaget's theory is the concrete operational stage. During this stage, children become capable of performing logical operations on concrete objects and events but struggle with abstract thinking. They begin to understand concepts like conservation, reversibility, and classification.
Children's learning is strongly influenced by their stage of development because it impacts their cognitive, physical, emotional, and social abilities. Developmental stages, such as infancy, early childhood, and adolescence, determine the kinds of skills and knowledge children are capable of acquiring. For example, young children may learn best through hands-on experiences and play, while older children may benefit more from complex reasoning and abstract thinking tasks.
According to Piget abstract thinking begins at or around age 15. Some people are sooner while others never reach abstract thinking stages.
Pretend play is important because it allows children to use their imagination and develop their abstract thinking skills, one of the more advanced skills for children.
The formal operational stage, which typically occurs during adolescence, is characterized by abstract thinking and the ability to form hypotheses and theories. This stage represents a heightened ability for logical and deductive reasoning.
Piaget's stages of cognitive development are sensorimotor (0-2 years), preoperational (2-7 years), concrete operational (7-11 years), and formal operational (11+ years). These stages describe the sequential development of children's thinking processes from simple reflexes to more complex and abstract thinking.
The stage you are referring to is Piaget's formal operational stage, which typically occurs during adolescence. In this stage, individuals are able to think abstractly, consider hypothetical situations, and engage in systematic problem-solving. They can also engage in more complex reasoning and philosophical discussions.
These are abstract ideas and not all people are able to think abstractly even though the brain development for abstract thinking happens in early teens. Many people only get as far as concrete thinking.
His final stage is abstract thinking which is beyond the concrete stage. The abstract thinker can invent, think critically about issues and problems, and extend the learning into new areas. This stage is usually reached about age 15 and in many cases some people never reach it. A good measure of telling if a student is in concrete thinking or abstract thinking is if they need to count on their fingers or use objects to count to do a math problem they are concrete thinkers. Abstract thinkers can do it in their heads and use logical thinking to work out problems.
capacity to abstract with language
Piaget's theory of cognitive development explains how children's behavior is influenced by the development of their thoughts and mental processes. According to Piaget, children progress through distinct stages of cognitive growth, each characterized by different ways of thinking and understanding the world. This theory emphasizes that children actively construct their understanding of the world through interactions and experiences.
This is divergent thinking and abstract thought. Most people aren't able to think abstractly until they reach their teens, but there are those who develop abstract thinking early. Abstract thought be helped by training the thinking process and provide for projects to help promote abstract ideas. Divergent/abstract thought is the highest order of thinking.
Concrete thinking is more on the surface, something that you point out or think of is more obvious. Abstract thinking is something more under the surface, something that is deeper in thinking, like looking at a piece of art, pointing out the colors would be concrete, pointing out the feeling and emotion behind it is more abstract. Hope that helps.
Robyn Macpherson has written: 'Analytic and heuristic processing in the development of statistical reasoning in children' -- subject(s): Child development, Statistics, Individual differences in children, Cognition in children, Reasoning in children 'Predictors of belief bias in critical thinking tasks' -- subject(s): Critical thinking, Belief change, Prejudices