Piaget's Theory of Social Development

Question 1

First stage

Answer 1

Sensorimotor stage (age 0-2)
- Basic motor skills
- Object permanence
- Perceiving and interacting with environment through physical sensations and body coordination

Question 2

Sensorimotor stage effect on political beliefs

Answer 2

Gender norms being established through certain toys for example can cause a child to associate certain things with each gender. In future, a girl for example, may not associate with being in a political leadership position compared to a boy.

Question 3

Second stage

Answer 3

Preoperational stage (age 2-7)
- Ego-centric
- Develop logical reasoning
- Symbolic thought
- Animism

Question 4

Preoperational stage effect on political beliefs

Answer 4

Developing the realisation of a child being different, or being a minority would have come forth in this stage and may encourage them in the future to support leaders that protect minorities.
Or, seeing themselves overrepresented in the criminal justice system can create a distrust with the government.

Question 5

Third stage

Answer 5

Concrete operational stage (age 7-11)
- Develop abstract thinking skills
- Logical reasoning and operational thinking
- Decentring
- Classified thinking

Question 6

Concrete operational stage effect on political beliefs

Answer 6

Stereotypes on gender abilities may shape a child’s thoughts to believe that one gender is more reliable than another in a political context.

Question 7

Fourth stage

Answer 7

Formal operational (ages 12+)
- Think systematically (what is and what might be)
- Hypothetical reasoning
- Reflective abstraction/metacognition
- Tiered operational thinking

Question 8

Formal operational stage effect on political beliefs

Answer 8

Female voters or leaders may be encouraged to prioritise community harmony, whereas men might prioritise individual rights.