The sensorimotor stage is the earliest in Piaget’stheory of cognitive development.
He described this period as a time of tremendous growth and change.
Through trial and error, children discover more about the world around them.
Illustration by Hugo Lin. © Verywell, 2018.
Primary Circular Reactions (1-4 months)
This substage involves coordinating sensation and newschemas.
For example, a child may suck their thumb by accident and then later intentionally repeat the action.
These actions are repeated because the infant finds them pleasurable.
For example, a child will purposefully pick up a toy and put it in their mouth.
The child may also combine schemas to make it achieve the desired effect.
Children begin exploring the environment around them and will often imitate the observed behavior of others.
For example, a child might realize that a rattle will make a sound when shaken.
Imagine a game of peek-a-boo, for example.
Older infants who understand object permanence will realize that the person or object continues to exist even when unseen.
Providing responsive care is essential.
During this period of development, children learn many things, including whether they can trust those around them.
Children engage in a variety of activities during the sensorimotor stage to learn more about the world.
Some of these activities include sucking, rooting, grasping, crawling, motor coordination, and visual tracking.
Winstanley MA.Stages in theory and experiment.
Fuzzy-structuralism and Piagetian stages.Integr Psychol Behav Sci.
Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment.
2022;34(3):309-316. doi:10.1097/PEP.0000000000000909
