reasonings

Preconventional reasoning

Young children’s behavior is by self interest, based on avoiding punishment and gaining rewards

Preoperational reasoning

Characterized by a dramatic leap in the use of symbolic thinking that permits young children to use language, interact with others, and play using their own thoughts and imaginations to guide their behavior

Concrete operational stage of reasoning

67, able to use logic to solve problems but are still unable to apply logic to abstract and hypothetical situations.

Conventional moral reasoning

Children are now able to take other’s perspective and are motivated by reciprocity, seeking to be accepted and avoid disapproval. Age 7, second level

Formal operational reasoning

Final stage of Piaget’s cognitive development theory; entails the ability to think abstractly, logically, and systematically. Capable of reasoning about their own thinkings, possibilities in hypotheticals.

Hypothetical deductive reasoning

Ability to consider problems, generate, and systematically test hypothesis and draw conclusions. Formal operational reasoning can do this, concrete fail.

post conventional moral reasoning

Autonomous decision-making from moral principles that value respect for individual rights above all else

Morality of constraint

Piaget’s first stage of morality when children become aware of rules and views them as absolute and unalterable

Morality of cooperation

Piaget’s second stage of morality in which children have a more flexible view of rules as they begin to value fairness and equality, accounts for factors like act, intent, and situation