Which stage of cognitive development is marked by children's inability to take on others' perspectives?

The preoperational stage is characterized by the development of language and symbolic thinking, but it also includes limitations in children's cognitive abilities, particularly regarding perspective-taking. During this stage, which occurs approximately between ages 2 and 7, children tend to be egocentric. This means they struggle to see situations from perspectives other than their own. For instance, if asked to describe what another person sees from a certain vantage point, children in this stage will often incorrectly project their own viewpoint rather than recognizing that others may have different experiences or thoughts.

Their thinking is intuitive and rigid, lacking the ability to perform operations mentally; thus, they cannot yet think abstractly or logically, which makes understanding other people's perspectives difficult. This limitation is evident in behaviors such as not recognizing that others may want different things or have different feelings.

Other stages of cognitive development present different capabilities. The concrete operational stage, which follows the preoperational stage, introduces logical thinking about concrete events and an improved understanding of others’ perspectives. The formal operational stage includes abstract thinking and moral reasoning, further strengthening perspective-taking abilities. The sensorimotor stage, occurring before the preoperational stage, involves infants learning through sensory experiences and physical interactions with their environment, where concepts of perspective are not