Jean Piaget created four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. The preoperational stage, which occurs from ages 2 to 7, is characterized by egocentric thought and an inability to think logically. Piaget developed experiments to observe characteristics of preoperational thinking in children like conservation, centration, irreversible thinking, and focus on appearances. These experiments aimed to test a child's understanding of concepts like object permanence, perspectives other than their own, and whether transformations change quantity.