Final answer:
The preoperational stage, occurring from 2 to 7 years old, is marked by symbolic thinking and pretend play but lacks the understanding of conservation and logical manipulation of information. This stage is followed by the development of theory-of-mind, which recognizes that others have different thoughts and feelings. As children progress, they gain the capability for logical thinking about concrete events and complex idea processing.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Piaget's Preoperational Stage
The preoperational stage is the second phase in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, marked by an evolution in a child's intelligence from purely sensory experiences to symbolic thinking. This stage typically occurs between 2 to 7 years of age. During this period, children begin to engage in pretend play and use symbols to represent objects. However, they do not yet grasp conservation or the ability to perform mental operations, which involves the logical manipulation of information. A classic example of this limitation can be seen when a child perceives a quantity based on appearance rather than understanding the actual amount, such as mistaking a pizza cut into more pieces as being more pizza. As children approach the end of the preoperational stage, they start developing a theory-of-mind (TOM), recognizing that other people have separate thoughts and feelings from their own.
By contrast, in Piaget's subsequent concrete operational stage, children gain the ability to think logically about concrete events and understand the concept of conservation. They realize that quantity remains unchanged despite changes in the form of objects, allowing them to solve problems more effectively. Their development of cognitive skills becomes more apparent, understanding past, present, and future, enabling planning and pursuing goals, and processing complex ideas such as mathematical operations and cause-and-effect relationships.