FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

According to Piaget, which stage comes after the concrete operational stage?

1. Sensorimotor stage

2. Preoperational stage

3. Formal operational stage

4. Stage of intuition

The correct answer is: Formal operational stage

The formal operational stage follows the concrete operational stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development. This stage, which typically begins around age 12 and continues into adulthood, is characterized by the emergence of abstract thinking and the ability to reason logically about hypothetical situations. Individuals in this stage can think about abstract concepts, formulate hypotheses, and engage in deductive reasoning, which they could not do effectively in earlier stages. During the concrete operational stage, which typically occurs from ages 7 to 11, thinking is more logical and organized, but still limited to concrete, tangible objects and actual experiences. Transitioning to the formal operational stage allows individuals to use more complex problem-solving strategies, think systematically, and understand the concept of variables in mathematical contexts, for example, facilitating greater intellectual independence. In this context, options like the sensorimotor and preoperational stages represent earlier phases in Piaget's developmental sequence, where cognitive abilities are more limited. The stage of intuition does not correspond to an established stage within Piaget's framework and thus does not accurately represent the developmental progression.