Cognitive development is often viewed through the lens of Jean Piaget's theory, which suggests children move through four distinct stages of intelligence:

The Growing Mind: Navigating Concepts, Kinds, and Cognitive Development

A major milestone in cognitive development is the shift from relying on "global tabulations" (surface features like color or size) to a "small set of defining features" (the underlying essence of what makes a dog a dog). 3. The Stages of Development