Dr. Oluo believes that cognitive development happens in distinct stages. Which description best fits this view?

Dr. Oluo believes that cognitive development happens in distinct stages. Which description best fits this view?

• A. Behaviorist
• B. Piagetian
• C. Relativist
• D. Millsian

Answer: (B)

Stage-based cognitive development means thinking changes qualitatively at specific ages, not just becoming more of the same. Piaget proposed this idea, outlining distinct stages—sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational—each bringing new ways of representing and manipulating information. This view holds that children’s reasoning shifts in fundamental ways as they grow, with new mental operations replacing earlier ones. Behaviorist accounts, by contrast, explain changes in behavior through reinforcement and conditioning rather than internal stage transitions. Relativist approaches emphasize culture and context over a universal sequence of stages. Millsian isn’t a recognized framework for cognitive development. So, the description that best fits the view of distinct stages is Piagetian.

Stage-based cognitive development means thinking changes qualitatively at specific ages, not just becoming more of the same. Piaget proposed this idea, outlining distinct stages—sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational—each bringing new ways of representing and manipulating information. This view holds that children’s reasoning shifts in fundamental ways as they grow, with new mental operations replacing earlier ones. Behaviorist accounts, by contrast, explain changes in behavior through reinforcement and conditioning rather than internal stage transitions. Relativist approaches emphasize culture and context over a universal sequence of stages. Millsian isn’t a recognized framework for cognitive development. So, the description that best fits the view of distinct stages is Piagetian.