Which age group is suggested to be capable of manipulating concrete concepts mentally according to Piaget's theory?

According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, children in the age range of 7 to 11 years are in the Concrete Operational stage. During this stage, they begin to think logically about concrete events and understand the concept of conservation and other concrete concepts. Children in this age group can manipulate and transform objects mentally, which is a fundamental shift from the previous stage, the Preoperational stage, where thinking is more intuitive and less logical.

The ability to work with concrete concepts includes capabilities like classifying objects, understanding the order of operations, and performing simple mathematical functions. This cognitive ability is foundational for later stages of development, where abstract reasoning becomes possible.

Younger children, such as those aged 4 to 6, are still primarily in the Preoperational stage, where their thinking is characterized by egocentrism and a lack of logical reasoning about concrete objects. Older adolescents, typically aged 10 and above, may begin to develop formal operational thinking, where abstract thought is possible, but the manipulation of concrete concepts is firmly established in the 7 to 11 age range.