Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Primary Education (PK–5) (OAE 057) Practice Exam

Which thought process is indicative of a student at the formal operational stage of cognitive development?

1. The student divides a pile of toy cars into trucks, vans, and cars.

2. A student creates a story about winter being better if snow were green.

3. A student's crayon is hidden, and they search for it.

4. A student divides a ball of clay into three balls and claims more clay.

The correct answer is: A student creates a story about winter being better if snow were green.

The selected answer, where a student creates a story about winter being better if snow were green, reflects a key feature of the formal operational stage of cognitive development, as proposed by Jean Piaget. This stage, typically emerging around age 11 and continuing into adulthood, is characterized by the ability to think abstractly, hypothesize, and engage in logical reasoning that goes beyond concrete objects and experiences. In this scenario, the student demonstrates imaginative thinking and the capability to consider hypothetical situations. The creativity involved in envisioning an alternative reality—where snow could be green—exemplifies the ability to think beyond the immediately observable world and engage in abstract reasoning. This illustrates a significant advancement from earlier developmental stages, focusing on the manipulation of ideas rather than just physical objects or sensory experiences. Other options involve more concrete forms of thinking. Dividing toy cars into categories involves classification, which is typical of the concrete operational stage, where children can recognize different categories but typically do so based on tangible criteria. Searching for a hidden crayon is related to object permanence, a concept understood in earlier developmental stages. Lastly, claiming more clay after dividing it illustrates a misunderstanding of quantity and mass, which is also characteristic of concrete operational thinking. Thus, the choice accurately represents the cognitive