Rebecca reads a book describing what life would be like without the wheel. She finds the book interesting, and she thinks of many ways her life would be different had the wheel never been invented. According to Jean Piaget, which stage of development is Rebecca most likely in?

The sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to about 2 years old, is marked by the development of basic motor skills and sensory experiences. At this stage, children learn through direct interaction with their environment and lack the ability to think abstractly. Therefore, Rebecca, who is engaging in hypothetical thought, is beyond this stage.

The preoperational stage, occurring from ages 2 to 7, involves symbolic thinking and imaginative play but is limited by egocentric perspectives and an inability to perform logical operations. While children in this stage can engage in imaginative scenarios, they typically cannot consider multiple variables or consequences as Rebecca does, indicating she has progressed beyond this stage.

In the concrete operational stage, which spans ages 7 to 11, children develop logical thinking but struggle with abstract concepts. They can think logically about concrete events but often require tangible examples. Rebecca's ability to ponder life without the wheel signifies that she is able to navigate abstract ideas, which is not characteristic of this stage.

The term "conventional" does not correspond to a stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Instead, it may refer to moral reasoning in Lawrence Kohlberg's stages. Therefore, it is not applicable to Rebecca's cognitive development as described in the scenario.