Which of the following is a Piaget stage?

• A. Sensorimotor
• B. Assimilation
• C. Equilibration
• D. Egocentrism

Answer: (A)

Sensorimotor is one of Piaget’s stages, lasting from birth to about two years old. In this period infants learn about the world through their senses and motor actions. They move from reflexive behaviors to more intentional actions, begin to coordinate actions to achieve goals, and crucially develop object permanence—the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they aren’t visible. Assimilation, equilibration, and egocentrism are not stages themselves: assimilation is the process of fitting new experiences into existing schemas; equilibration is the drive to reach cognitive balance between experience and understanding; egocentrism describes a thinking style seen in the preoperational stage, where a child has difficulty taking others’ viewpoints. So, the Piaget stage described is sensorimotor.