Question

School-age children master concrete operational tasks ________?

1) all at once
2) gradually, in a continuum of acquisition
3) much later than Piaget believed
4) after they become capable of abstract thinking

Answer 1

School-age children master concrete operational tasks gradually, building their cognitive skills as they grow and learn. They develop logical thinking regarding concrete events before moving onto more abstract thinking in the formal operational stage.

Step-by-step explanation:

School-age children master concrete operational tasks gradually, in a continuum of acquisition. According to Piaget's theory, the concrete operational stage occurs from about 7 to 11 years old. During this stage, children begin to think logically about concrete events and understand concepts such as the principle of conservation. They develop the ability to perform operations such as addition and subtraction, and understand that transformations like addition is the opposite of subtraction, and multiplication is the opposite of division.

As they advance through this stage, children progressively build upon their cognitive skills. They do not master these tasks all at once, instead, they build upon their knowledge as they interact with their environment and face new cognitive challenges. It is only after they have a firm grasp on concrete operational tasks that they begin to approach the formal operational stage, which involves abstract thinking and hypothetical scenarios.