Section 3.2 Postnatal development

Cognitive development during early childhood aligns with Piaget’s preoperational stage, which spans from approximately 2 to 7 years of age. At this stage, children begin to think symbolically, meaning they can use their imagination, recognize and use symbols (like pretending a stick is a sword), and understand that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. These abilities mark significant progress from the sensorimotor stage of infancy.

However, children’s thinking during this stage is still egocentric, i.e. they find it difficult to see situations from perspectives other than their own. They also lack the ability to think logically or carry out mental operations, such as mentally adding or comparing quantities. One key concept they have not yet grasped is conservation the understanding that quantity remains the same even when its appearance changes, such as when water is poured into a glass of a different shape.

Children can mentally represent objects that are not present (e.g., thinking about a toy that’s not in the room). Two key features:

•    Egocentrism: Children believe everyone sees the world the same way they do.

•    Animism: They believe non-living things (like toys or the sun) have feelings or human qualities.

Children begin to use basic reasoning and often ask many questions like “why?” or “how?” They believe they are right, even if they can’t explain why. Two common thinking errors:

•    Centration: They focus on one aspect of something and ignore others (e.g., thinking a taller glass has more water even if it’s the same amount).

•    Lack of conservation: They don’t yet understand that quantity doesn’t change when the shape or arrangement changes.