Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
The ability to think hypothetically refers to the cognitive capacity to consider and reason about possibilities, situations, or events that may not exist in reality.
Related terms
Concrete Operations Stage: This stage represents a period of cognitive development during which children around 7-11 years old can think logically but struggle with hypothetical thinking.
Formal Operations Stage: This stage occurs during adolescence when individuals develop the ability to think abstractly and hypothetically.
Hypothetical-deductive Reasoning: It is a type of reasoning where adolescents use hypotheses to systematically test potential solutions or outcomes.