Which stage of cognitive development includes substages such as primary circular reactions and secondary schemata?

The stage of cognitive development that includes substages such as primary circular reactions and secondary schemata is the sensorimotor stage. This is the first stage in Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, occurring from birth to around 2 years of age.

During the sensorimotor stage, infants learn about the world through their senses and actions. Primary circular reactions, which occur between 1 and 4 months of age, involve simple motor actions that are centered on the infant's own body, such as sucking their thumb. As they progress to secondary circular reactions, occurring from about 4 to 8 months, infants begin to repeat actions on the outside world to achieve desired outcomes, such as shaking a rattle to hear the sound it makes.

Secondary schemata, which develop later in this stage, involve the application of learned behaviors to new situations. This progression reflects the growing cognitive complexity as infants start to understand the effects of their actions in their environment.

The other stages listed — formal operational, preoperational, and concrete operational — occur later in childhood and involve different types of thinking and reasoning that do not include the specific substages found in the sensorimotor stage. Understanding these stages is crucial in grasping how cognitive development unfolds in