Quiz on NTA UGC NET Daily Quiz ( 23 June 2020)

Piaget – The A Not B Error (Sensorimotor Stage)

A-not-B error (also known as “stage 4 error” or “perseverative error”) is a phenomenon
uncovered by the work of Jean Piaget in his theory of cognitive development of
children. The A-not-B error is a particular error made by infants during substage 4 of
their sensorimotor stage.

A typical A-not-B task goes like this: An experimenter hides an attractive toy under box
“A” within the baby’s reach. The baby searches for the toy, looks under box “A”, and
finds the toy. This activity is usually repeated several times (always with the researcher
hiding the toy under box “A”). Then, in the critical trial, the experimenter moves the toy
under box “B”, also within easy reach of the baby. Babies of 10 months or younger
typically make the perseveration error, meaning they look under box “A” even though
they saw the researcher move the toy under box “B”, and box “B” is just as easy to
reach. This demonstrates a lack of, or incomplete, schema of object permanence.
Children of 12 months or older typically do not make this error.

The 4 Stages of Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four different
stages of mental development. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children acquire
knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of intelligence. Piaget’s stages are:

1 Sensorimotor stage: birth to 2 years

The infant knows the world through their movements and sensations.

Children learn about the world through basic actions such as sucking, grasping, looking, and
listening.

2 Preoperational stage: ages 2 to 7

Children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent
objects.

Children at this stage tend to be egocentric and struggle to see things from the perspective
of others.

3 Concrete operational stage: ages 7 to 11

During this stage, children begin to thinking logically about concrete events.

4 Formal operational stage: ages 12 and up

At this stage, the adolescent or young adult begins to think abstractly and reason about
hypothetical problems.

Abstract thought emerges.

Begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general principle to specific information.

The sensorimotor stage is composed of six sub-stages and lasts from birth through 24 months. The
six sub-stages are

reflexes, (0-1 month) the child understands the environment purely through inborn reflexes
such as sucking and looking.

primary circular reactions, (1-4 months) coordinating sensation and new schemas. For
example, a child may suck his or her thumb by accident and then later intentionally repeat the
action.

secondary circular reactions, (4-8 months) becomes more focused on the world and begins to
intentionally repeat an action in order to trigger a response in the environment. For example, a
child will purposefully pick up a toy in order to put it in his or her mouth.

coordination of reactions, (8-12 months) The child may also combine schemas in order to
achieve a desired effect.

tertiary circular reactions, (12-18 months) trial-and-error experimentation during the fifth
substage. For example, a child may try out different sounds or actions as a way of getting
attention from a caregiver.

early representational thought. (18-24 months) children begin to move towards understanding
the world through mental operations rather than purely through actions.