What is a key characteristic of the preoperational stage?

A key characteristic of the preoperational stage, as proposed by Jean Piaget, is egocentrism. During this developmental phase, which typically occurs between the ages of 2 and 7 years, children exhibit difficulty in seeing situations from perspectives other than their own. They tend to believe that everyone experiences the world in the same way they do. This can be observed in their communication and play, where they may not take into account the viewpoints or feelings of others, focusing primarily on their own experiences.

In contrast, the logical thought characteristic is more aligned with the concrete operational stage that follows the preoperational stage. Similarly, abstract reasoning is a trait associated with the formal operational stage, which occurs later in development. Conservation, the understanding that quantity does not change despite changes in shape or appearance, is also a characteristic that emerges in the concrete operational stage, rather than the preoperational stage. This makes egocentrism the defining feature of children’s cognitive development during the preoperational stage.