The Development of Baby Alan in Piaget's Sensorimotor Stage
Baby Alan started opening his mouth differently for a nipple than for a spoon. This behavior indicates that Baby Alan is likely in a specific stage of Piaget's sensorimotor stages.
Question
Baby Alan started opening his mouth differently for a nipple than for a spoon. Baby Alan is probably in stage ___ of Piaget’s sensorimotor stages.
a) Stage 1
b) Stage 2
c) Stage 4
d) Stage 6
Answer
Final answer: Baby Alan's differentiation between a nipple and a spoon indicates he is in the sensorimotor stage of Piaget's cognitive development theory, likely the 4th sub-stage where babies exhibit intentional, adaptive actions.
Explanation: Baby Alan's behavior of opening his mouth differently for a nipple than for a spoon reflects his learning about the world through senses and motor behavior. According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, this behavior is probably manifesting in the sensorimotor stage, which is the first stage lasting from birth through age 2. This stage exhibits progression in the baby’s interaction with their environment, advancing from simple reflex actions to the mastering of more coordinated behavior.
This stage is further divided into six sub-stages. Based on the description given, Baby Alan is likely in sub-stage four, also known as the coordination of secondary circular reactions stage. In this stage, the baby starts to show clearly intentional actions. On observing his environment, the baby adaptively applies learned schemes to specific situations, such as opening his mouth differently depending upon whether he is going to be fed with a nipple or a spoon.