Describe the symbolic function substage of the preoperational stage.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The symbolic function substage is the first substage of preoperational thought, occurring roughly between the ages of 2 and 4. In this substage, the young child gains the ability to mentally represent an object that is not present. This ability vastly expands the child's mental world. Young children use scribble designs to represent people, houses, cars, clouds, and so on; they begin to use language and engage in pretend play. However, although young children make distinct progress during this substage, their thought still has important limitations, two of which are egocentrism and animism. Egocentrism is the inability to distinguish between one's own perspective and someone else's perspective. Animism, another limitation of preoperational thought, is the belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities and are capable of action.