What is the main activity of infants during the sensorimotor stage of development?

What is the main activity of infants during the sensorimotor stage of development?

• A. Using language to communicate
• B. Understanding abstract concepts
• C. Learning through movements and sensations
• D. Engaging in moral reasoning

Answer: (C)

During the sensorimotor stage of development, which spans from birth to approximately 2 years of age, infants primarily learn through their interactions with the environment. This stage is marked by the exploration of the world through their senses and motor activities. Infants use their senses—such as touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell—and develop their motor skills as they reach for objects, crawl, and eventually walk. These experiences help them to form a basis for understanding the world around them. The focus during this stage is on concrete experiences rather than abstract thinking or language development, which are characteristics of later stages. Infants begin to understand the relationships between their actions and the outcomes in their environment, such as recognizing that grabbing a toy leads to experiencing its texture or sound. This hands-on learning is crucial for cognitive development and directly influences later abilities, including problem-solving and cognitive skills. The other options involve developments that occur either later in childhood or require capabilities not yet present during the sensorimotor stage. Language communication, along with understanding abstract concepts and moral reasoning, emerges in subsequent developmental stages when children have gained the necessary cognitive and linguistic skills.

During the sensorimotor stage of development, which spans from birth to approximately 2 years of age, infants primarily learn through their interactions with the environment. This stage is marked by the exploration of the world through their senses and motor activities. Infants use their senses—such as touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell—and develop their motor skills as they reach for objects, crawl, and eventually walk. These experiences help them to form a basis for understanding the world around them.

The focus during this stage is on concrete experiences rather than abstract thinking or language development, which are characteristics of later stages. Infants begin to understand the relationships between their actions and the outcomes in their environment, such as recognizing that grabbing a toy leads to experiencing its texture or sound. This hands-on learning is crucial for cognitive development and directly influences later abilities, including problem-solving and cognitive skills.

The other options involve developments that occur either later in childhood or require capabilities not yet present during the sensorimotor stage. Language communication, along with understanding abstract concepts and moral reasoning, emerges in subsequent developmental stages when children have gained the necessary cognitive and linguistic skills.