Beginning in infancy, the acquisition of Intelligence, conscious thought, and problem-solving abilities. An orderly sequence in the increase in knowledge derived from sensorimotor activity has been empirically shown by Jean Piaget (1896–1980), who described four stages in the cognitive development of the child: a) Sensorimotor Stage: The senses receive a stimulus, and the body reacts to it in a stereotyped way. It occurs from birth to 16–24 months. Object permanence develops during this time. b) Preoperational Thought: Prelogical thought that occurs between ages 2 and 6 years. During this time, symbolic function and language develop and change the child’s ability to interact. Egocentric thinking predominates, and the child believes that everything revolves around him or her. Magical thinking arises, and reality and fantasy are interwoven. c) concrete operations: Rational and logical thought process. It occurs between ages 7 and 11 and includes the development of the ability to understand another’s viewpoint and the concept of conservation. d) formal operations: Cognitive stage that includes abstract thinking, conceptual thinking, and deductive reasoning. Formal operational thinking is generally achieved by age 12, although some adults may never achieve this stage of cognitive development.
The development of mental processes such as perception, problem solving, reasoning, memory, and the development of knowledge in general.
The process by which an infant gains knowledge and becomes a thinking being, developing the whole range of perceptual and conceptual skills needed for organizing and understanding experience of the world, including memory, discrimination, sequencing, concept formation, generalization, reasoning, and problem-solving.
The sequential acquisition of the ability to learn, reason, and analyze that begins in infancy and progresses as the individual matures.