How to Think About Flowers A person’s stage of cognitive growth influences how he or she thinks about everything, including flowers. (a) To an infant, in the sensorimotor stage, flowers are “known” through pulling, smelling, and even biting. (b) At the concrete operational stage, children become more logical. This boy can understand that flowers need sunlight, water, and time to grow. (c) At the adult’s formal operational stage, flowers can be part of a larger, logical scheme—for instance, to earn money while cultivating beauty. As illustrated by all three photos, thinking is an active process from the beginning of life until the end.