During which stage do children typically struggle with understanding others' perspectives?

The preoperational stage is characterized by a significant advancement in a child's ability to represent the world through symbols, such as language and play. However, during this stage, which generally spans from ages 2 to 7, children show limited ability to understand that other people may have different perspectives, thoughts, and feelings from their own. This egocentrism means they often assume that everyone sees the world in the same way they do, leading to difficulties in social interaction and empathy.

In this stage, children are more focused on their immediate experiences and find it challenging to process information that requires understanding another person's viewpoint, which is a crucial social and cognitive skill that develops further in later stages. Their thinking is intuitive rather than logical, which affects their ability to engage in perspective-taking.

In contrast, other stages like the concrete operational stage involve more logical thinking and the ability to understand other perspectives better. The formal operational stage marks the development of abstract thought and hypothesis testing, which includes a more sophisticated understanding of others' beliefs and emotions. The sensorimotor stage is primarily focused on sensory experiences and physical interactions with the environment, without a significant emphasis on perspective-taking or social cognition.