During which stage do infants know the world primarily through sensory impressions and motor activities?

The sensorimotor stage is the correct choice because it is the developmental phase, according to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, that occurs from birth to approximately two years of age. During this stage, infants learn and understand the world primarily through their sensory experiences and physical interactions with their environment.

Key characteristics of the sensorimotor stage include the development of motor skills, such as grasping and reaching, as well as using their senses to explore objects and their surroundings. Infants engage in activities like sucking, touching, and looking, which help them form the basis of knowledge and understanding. They begin to learn about object permanence—the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen—through their interactions, refining their grasp of reality.

In contrast, other stages such as the preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage build on the foundations laid during the sensorimotor stage. The preoperational stage (ages 2 to 7) follows, marked by symbolic thinking and imagination but not yet by logical reasoning. The concrete operational stage (ages 7 to 11) involves logical thinking about concrete events. The formal operational stage (ages 12 and above) is characterized by abstract and hypothetical reasoning.