formal operational stage

the fourth and final stage in the Piagetian theory of cognitive development, beginning around age 12, during which complex intellectual functions, such as abstract thinking, logical processes, conceptualization, and judgment, develop. See also concrete operational stage; preoperational stage; sensorimotor stage.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

Estes–Skinner procedure

Estes–Skinner procedure

another name for conditioned suppression. [after William K. Estes and B. F. Skinner, who developed the technique in 1941]