ASWB MSW Exam Complete Practice Test

In the sensorimotor stage, which spans from birth to about two years of age, children begin to understand cause and effect relationships and develop object permanence. This stage is characterized by physical and sensory experiences, not abstract thought.

In the preoperational stage, which typically lasts from ages two to seven, children may demonstrate symbolic play, use language more fluently, and start to understand the concept of numbers. However, they are not yet capable of abstract thought.

During the concrete operations stage, from ages seven to eleven, children begin to demonstrate logical reasoning and can think more critically. However, true abstract thought is still limited in this stage.

It is during the formal operations stage, from ages eleven and up, that children develop the ability to think abstractly and hypothetically, solve abstract problems, and reason logically about abstract concepts. This stage is characterized by the ability to think beyond concrete experiences