Final answer:
The word that identifies the infancy stage in Piaget's cognitive development model is the 'sensorimotor stage'. This stage lasts from birth to about 2 years old, where children learn through their senses and motor activity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The word that identifies the infancy stage in Piaget's cognitive development model is the sensorimotor stage. This stage covers the period from birth until about 2 years of age. During the sensorimotor stage, children learn about the world by using their senses and engaging in motor behavior. They explore through tasting, touching, and manipulating objects, which is a core part of their cognitive development.
Jean Piaget's theory emphasizes that cognitive skills, such as understanding object permanence, which is the knowledge that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible, develop as a child matures and interacts with the environment.
Infancy, according to Piaget, is characterized by rapid cognitive advancements, as infants acquire both sensory and motor skills necessary for further cognitive development through interaction and exploration of their surroundings. This emphasizes Piaget's belief in the significance of the sensorimotor stage in the foundation of cognitive development.