Which of the following is not a characteristic of intellectual development in…

Concept — Intellectual development is evaluated by matching a behaviour to the cognitive tasks that normally emerge at a given age. In later childhood, thinking becomes more logical and reality-based, while long-term identity and vocational commitments generally become prominent during adolescence.

Application — Children in later childhood can reason more logically, distinguish real threats from imagined ones more reliably, and develop sustained interests in imaginative or scientific reading. Detailed career planning, however, assumes a stable vocational identity and long-range decision-making that are not defining features of this stage.

• High interest in science fiction combines curiosity and imagination with growing reading comprehension.

• Increased logical power reflects the growth of concrete, rule-based reasoning.

• End of imaginary fears reflects improved reality testing and understanding of cause and effect.

Cross-check — Interest in science fiction, stronger logic, and diminishing imaginary fears fit school-age cognitive growth; systematic career planning fits the later developmental demands of adolescence.

Therefore, Operational planning of a career is not a characteristic of intellectual development in later childhood.