Piaget's theory of cognitive development

Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 years)
Preoperational intelligence means the young child is capable of mental representations, but does not have a system for organising this thinking (intuitive rather than logical thought). The child is egocentric -- which is they have problems distinguishing from their own perceptions and perceptions of others. A classic example is, a preoperational child will cover their eyes so they can not see someone and think that that person can not see them either.
The child also has rigid thinking, which involves the following:
Centration -- a child will become completely fixed on one point, not allowing them to see the wider picture. For example, focusing only on the height of the container rather than both the height and width when determining what has the biggest volume.
State -- can only concentrate on what something looks like at that time.
Appearance -- focuses on how something appears rather than reality.
Lack of Reversibility -- can not reverse the steps they have taken. Does not realize that one set of steps can be cancelled by another set of steps.
Lack of Conservation -- realizing that something can have the same properties even if it appears differently.

Find out more about Piaget's theory of cognitive development at: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stag...