Which stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development is represented by a child's ability to mentally represent objects and events with words and images?

In Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the preoperational stage is characterized by the capacity for symbolic thought, which allows children to represent objects and events using words and images. Typically occurring between the ages of 2 to 7 years, children in this stage become increasingly capable of using language and engaging in imaginative play.

During this period, children start to form mental representations of the world, enabling them to think about things that are not immediately present. For example, a child might create a story about their toys or use drawings to express ideas. This stage also lays the groundwork for more complex cognitive processes, as children begin to categorize and understand relationships between different concepts, even though their thinking is still relatively intuitive and egocentric.

In contrast, the concrete operational stage that follows (ages 7 to 11) introduces logical reasoning but relies on concrete objects and experiences, rather than the abstract representations characteristic of the preoperational stage. The formal operational stage (ages 11 and up) involves the ability to think abstractly and systematically, while the sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years) is primarily focused on infants exploring the world through sensory experiences and motor actions, lacking the ability to think symbolically. Thus, the