10. Sensorimotor Substages

Reflexive schemes

Birth–1 month; learning is tied to newborn reflexes.

Primary circular reactions

1–4 months; infants repeat actions caused by their own movements.

Primary circular reaction example

Accidentally making a sound or movement and repeating it.

Secondary circular reactions

4–8 months; infants repeat interesting effects involving the environment.

Secondary circular reaction example

Repeatedly shaking a rattle or dropping a toy.

Coordination of secondary reactions

8–12 months; infants combine actions into goal-directed sequences.

Goal-directed behavior

Combining actions intentionally to reach a desired outcome.

Object permanence

Understanding that objects continue to exist when out of sight.

Functional play

Play involving pleasurable motor activity or using objects for their intended purpose.

Tertiary circular reactions

12–18 months; toddlers experiment with new variations of actions.

Active experimentation

Toddlers intentionally vary actions to see different results.

Mental representations

Internal images of absent objects and past events.

Invisible displacement

Finding an object that was moved while out of sight.

Deferred imitation

Remembering and copying behavior after the model is gone.

Make-believe play

Acting out everyday or imaginary activities.