The Five-Seven Shift

All major theories of child psychology state that children undergo a major change between the ages of five and seven. In classical learning theory, this is a time when the simplest forms of learning give way to learning that involves more complexmental processes. According to psychologist Jean Piaget, the period from five to seven years old is a transition to operational thought, when children are able to move beyond using only their senses toward using a new set of rational-thinking skills. Because several cognitive changes occur in children between ages five and seven, this period is called the five-seven shift. The shift is biological in nature and involves fundamental growth in the brain and stabilization of brain-wave rhythms into a basically adult pattern. The five-seven shift involves many physical changes, such as the loss of the “baby teeth” and an increase in the rates of height acquired and weight gained.

By the time they are five years old, children can understand and use symbols. They have developed the ability to use words, gestures, and pictures to stand for “real life” objects, and they are skilled in deploying various symbol systems, such as language or drawing.However, a five-year-old child is able to focus attention on only one quality of an object at a time, such as the object’s size or shape. The use of symbolization continues to evolve, reaching a peak around the age of seven or eight, when children become capable of concrete operations. When this happens, they can solve problems by using rational thought to make generalizations from their own experience.

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