Final answer:
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children progress through four stages of cognitive growth, influenced by age and interaction with the environment. His stages include sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Recent research, however, challenges the timing of these stages and suggests the existence of a possible fifth stage, postformal thought.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Jean Piaget, a notable psychologist, cognitive development involves several key factors that are realized as children mature through various stages while interacting with their environment. Piaget proposed a four-stage theory of cognitive development: the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages. Each stage represents a qualitative change in thinking and reasoning abilities. His model suggested that as children age, they also exhibit enhanced cognitive skills, such as understanding the properties of objects through interaction with their world. However, this aspect of Piaget's theory has been challenged by findings that indicate children may develop cognitive abilities earlier than he had anticipated. Additionally, Piaget's understanding of cognitive maturity extends into adolescence with the development of formal operational thought, which involves logical and abstract thinking, and some developmental psychologists argue for a possible fifth stage, postformal thought, that involves the integration of logic and emotion in adult decision-making.