During which developmental stage do children primarily rely on sensory experiences to gain knowledge?

The correct answer is the sensorimotor stage. This developmental stage, which occurs from birth to approximately two years of age, is characterized by the way infants explore and understand the world primarily through their senses and physical interactions. During this time, children learn about their environment by touching, looking, and listening to their surroundings, which allows them to develop essential cognitive skills and sense of self. They perform a variety of actions and, through these sensory experiences, form the foundational knowledge that will support their later cognitive development.

In contrast, the preoperational stage, which follows the sensorimotor stage, involves children aged roughly two to seven years. At this point, children begin to think symbolically and use language, but their understanding is still limited and often not based on concrete logic.

The concrete operational stage occurs from ages seven to eleven, where children start to think logically about concrete events but still struggle with abstract concepts. Finally, the formal operational stage, which begins around age eleven, is when individuals can think abstractly and reason logically, allowing for more complex problem-solving and hypothetical thinking. Therefore, the sensorimotor stage is uniquely identified by the reliance on sensory experiences for knowledge acquisition, distinguishing it clearly from the other stages.