Which sequence correctly lists Piaget's stages in order from earliest to latest?

• A. Sensorimotor, Concrete Operational, Pre-operational, Formal Operational
• B. Pre-operational, Sensorimotor, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational
• C. Sensorimotor, Pre-operational, Formal Operational, Concrete Operational
• D. Sensorimotor, Pre-operational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational

Answer: (D)

Piaget described cognitive development as progressing through four distinct stages in a fixed order, from earliest to latest. The sequence from birth onward is sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational. In the sensorimotor stage, children learn through sensing and acting and discover object permanence. In the preoperational stage, language and symbolic thinking emerge, but thinking is still egocentric and they struggle with conserving quantity. In the concrete operational stage, children begin to think logically about concrete objects, grasp conservation and reversibility, and use classification. In the formal operational stage, they develop abstract and hypothetical-deductive reasoning.

Other sequences mix up the order of these stages, such as placing concrete operational before preoperational or formal before concrete, or swapping sensorimotor and preoperational. Those do not reflect how cognitive abilities build on earlier foundations, so they’re not the correct progression. The listed order is correct.