What characterizes a child’s thinking during the sensorimotor stage?

During the sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to approximately two years of age according to Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development, a child's thinking is characterized primarily by reliance on direct sensory experiences. Infants explore their world through their senses and motor activities, learning about their environment through experiences such as seeing, touching, and manipulating objects. They engage in actions like grasping, sucking, and looking, which allows them to develop basic motor skills and understand the physical aspects of their surroundings.

Additionally, during this stage, children do not yet use symbols or mental representations, which is a hallmark of the next stage (the preoperational stage). Their cognitive abilities are limited to the here and now, focusing on immediate sensory experiences rather than abstract thinking or complex reasoning. Therefore, the distinctive way in which children engage with their environment during this period is through the direct exploration facilitated by their sensory and motor experiences.