Final answer:
The Cognitive Stage refers to the initial learning phase in Fitts and Posner's model, contrasting with Piaget's stages of cognitive development, which range from the sensorimotor stage in infancy to formal operational and potential postformal stages in adolescence and adulthood.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Cognitive Stage, according to Fitts and Posner's model, is the initial phase of learning a new skill, where the learner is trying to understand what needs to be done. This stage is characterized by a high level of concentration, frequent errors, and inefficient performance as the learner is getting accustomed to the new task. In contrast, Jean Piaget's theory identifies the sensorimotor stage as the earliest stage in his theory of cognitive development, occurring from birth through age 2. During this stage, a child learns about the world through their senses and motor behavior. In the concrete operational stage, which occurs from about 7 to 11 years old, children can think logically about real (concrete) events and grasp mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Additionally, Piaget postulated the formal operational stage, starting around age 11 to adulthood, where individuals develop abstract reasoning skills. The advancement to postformal thought allows adults to integrate logic with emotion and to understand that rules or principles may vary according to different contexts.