According to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, hypothetico-deductive reasoning develops during

Piaget's formal operational stage (approximately 11+ years) is characterized by the ability to think abstractly and engage in hypothetico-deductive reasoning — generating hypotheses about possibilities and systematically testing them. The sensori-motor stage involves learning through senses and actions, the pre-operational stage involves symbolic thinking but lacks logical operations, and concrete operational thinking is logical but tied to concrete objects. Only formal operational thinking allows for abstract hypothesis testing.