In Jean Piaget's theory, which stage covers the ages from 2 to 7 years?

In Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the stage that covers the ages from 2 to 7 years is known as the preoperational stage. During this period, children begin to engage in symbolic thinking, which allows them to use words, images, and drawings to represent objects and experiences. This stage is characterized by an increase in language development and imagination.

Children in the preoperational stage typically exhibit egocentric thinking, meaning they have difficulty seeing perspectives other than their own. They also struggle with understanding the concept of conservation, which refers to the idea that quantity doesn't change even when its shape does. Overall, this stage is crucial as it lays the foundation for more complex thinking and reasoning processes that will develop in subsequent stages.

The other stages mentioned, such as the sensorimotor stage, concrete operations, and formal operations, occur either before or after the preoperational stage, each serving as distinct phases in cognitive development according to Piaget's framework.