| Name of Period | Characteristics of the Period | Major Gains During the Period |
|---|
| Birth to 2 years | Sensorimotor | Infants use senses and motor abilities to understand the world. Learning is active, without reflection. | Infants learn that objects still exist when out of sight (object permanence) and begin to think through mental actions. |
| 2-6 years | Preoperational | Children think symbolically, with language, yet children are egocentric, perceiving from their own perspective. | The imagination flourishes, and language becomes a significant means of self-expression and social influence. |
| 6-11 years | Concrete operational | Children understand and apply logic. Thinking is limited by direct experience. | By applying logic, children grasp concepts of conservation, number, classification, and many other scientific ideas. |
| 12 years through adulthood | Formal operational | Adolescents and adults use abstract and hypothetical concepts. They can use analysis, not only emotion. | Ethics, politics, and social and moral issues become fascinating as adolescents and adults use abstract, theoretical reasoning. |