Which theorist is associated with four stages of development?

• A. John Robertson
• B. Piaget
• C. Erikson
• D. Vygotsky

Answer: (B)

The main idea tested is who described cognitive development as a sequence of four distinct stages. Piaget is the correct pick because his theory outlines four qualitative stages that children pass through as their thinking grows more sophisticated: sensorimotor (birth to about 2 years), where knowledge comes from bodily interactions; preoperational (roughly ages 2 to 7), marked by symbolic play but lack of logical operations; concrete operational (about 7 to 11), where logical thinking applies to concrete objects and events; and formal operational (starting around 12 onward), where abstract and hypothetical reasoning emerges. This stage-like progression, along with ideas like assimilation and accommodation driving growth, is the hallmark of Piaget’s approach.

Erikson, by contrast, proposed eight psychosocial stages spanning the lifespan, not four stages of cognitive development. Vygotsky emphasized social interaction and the zone of proximal development rather than a fixed four-stage progression. John Robertson isn’t known for a widely recognized four-stage model of development. So Piaget’s four-stage framework best fits the question.