Stage 3- Logical Reasoning

Between the ages of 7-12, children gain the ability to classify objects in a logical order. This stage shows a child's ability to find similarities between objects based on the characteristics is has, rather than focusing on color. During previous stages, children organize objects into groups based on obvious things, such as color, but during this stage they are able to organize objects based on other similarities. Children at this stage have had enough experiences in life to help them group objects together based on similarities they have noticed in the past, but they still cannot think abstractly.

Inductive reasoning is the type of reasoning that children are able to use during this stage. This means that they can go from a specific experience to a general principle. An example of this is a child organizing a group of animals based on what they have seen in the past, like being able to differentiate between a dog and a cat. In the past, if a child saw an animal walking on all fours they might have considered it the same, but through experiences and learning, the child is able to apply his or her knowledge and differentiate between the two. Deductive reasoning has not yet developed in this stage. This type of reasoning is more abstract than inductive, and it deals with being able to determine the outcome of an event.