Object permanence is the knowledge that an object continues to exist even when it can no longer be seen, heard, or perceived in any other way. First proposed and studied by renowned Swiss development psychologist Jean Piaget in the mid-1900s, object permanence is considered a key developmental milestone in the first two years of a child’s life.
Piaget developed a stage theory of childhood development, which consisted of four stages. The first stage, called the sensorimotor stage, takes place from birth to approximately 2 years old and is when babies develop object permanence. The sensorimotor stage consists of six substages. At each of the substages, a new achievement in object permanence is expected. To detail the substages in the development of object permanence, Piaget conducted simple studies with his own children. In these studies, Piaget hid a toy under a blanket while the infant watched. If the child searched for the hidden toy, it was seen as an indication of object permanence. Piaget observed that in general children were around 8 months old when they started to search for the toy. Piaget’s six substages in the achievement of object permanence during the sensorimotor stage are as follows: Right after birth, infants have no concept of anything outside themselves. At this earliest substage, they experience the world through their reflexes, the reflex of sucking in particular. Starting at around 1 month old, children start to learn through what Piaget called “circular reactions.” Circular reactions happen when an infant chances on a new behavior, like thumb-sucking, and then attempts to repeat it. These circular reactions involve what Piaget referred to as schemas or schemes — patterns of action that help infants understand the world around them. Infants learn to use multiple different schemes in circular reactions. For example, when a child sucks their thumb, they are coordinating the action of sucking with their mouth with their hand movements. During Stage 2, infants still have no sense of object permanence. If they can no longer see an object or individual, they may look for a moment to where they last saw it, but they won’t attempt to find it. At this point in development, the saying "out of sight, out of mind" applies. At around 4 months, babies start to observe and interact more with their surrounding environment. This helps them learn about the permanence of things outside themselves. At this stage, if something leaves their line of sight, they will look where the object fell. Also, if they put an object down and turn away, they can find the object again. Further, if a blanket covers part of a toy, they can find the toy. During Stage 4, true object permanence starts to emerge. At around 8 months old, children can successfully find toys completely hidden under blankets. Yet, Piaget found a limitation to babies’ new sense of object permanence at this stage. Specifically, although an infant could find a toy when it was hidden at point A, when the same toy was hidden at point B, infants would again look for the toy at point A. According to Piaget, infants at Stage 4 are unable to follow displacements to different hiding places. At Stage 5, infants learn to follow the displacement of an object as long as the infant can observe the movement of the object from one hiding place to another. Finally, at Stage 6, infants can follow displacements even if they don’t observe how a toy moves from hidden point A to hidden point B. For example, if a ball rolls under a sofa, the child can infer the trajectory of the ball, enabling them to look for the ball at the end of the trajectory instead of the beginning where the ball disappeared. Piaget suggested that it’s at this stage that representational thought emerges, which results in the ability to imagine objects in one’s mind. The ability to form mental representations of things they can’t see results in infants’ development of object permanence, as well as an understanding of themselves as separate and independent individuals in the world. Since Piaget introduced his theory on the development of object permanence, other scholars have provided evidence that this ability actually develops earlier than Piaget believed. Psychologists speculate that Piaget’s reliance on infants’ reaching for a toy led him to underestimate the child’s knowledge of individual objects, because it overemphasizes infants' underdeveloped motor skills. In studies that observe what children look at, instead of what they reach for, infants appear to demonstrate an understanding of object permanence at younger ages. For example, across two experiments, psychologist Renée Baillargeon showed infants screens that rotated towards objects in back of them. As they rotated, the screens concealed the objects, but babies still expressed surprise when the screens didn't stop moving when they expected them to because the object should have forced the screens to stop. The results showed that infants as young as 7 months old can understand the properties of hidden objects, challenging Piaget’s ideas about when object permanence first starts developing in earnest. Object permanence is an important development for humans, but we’re not the only ones who develop the ability to understand this concept. Research has shown that higher mammals, including apes, wolves, cats, and dogs, as well as some species of birds, develop object permanence. For instance, in one study, researchers tested cats and dogs’ object permanence with tasks that were similar to those used to test the ability in infants. When the reward was only a hidden toy, neither species managed to complete all the tasks, but they were successful when the tasks were adjusted to make the reward hidden food. These findings indicate that cats and dogs have completely developed object permanence.
By Ruth Thomson When do children start to understand something still exists even though they can’t see or hear it – and what activities will they enjoy doing at this time? By Ruth Thomson
1. WHAT IT IS Object permanence means a child understands that things, and people, still exist even when they cannot be seen or heard. It is an important developmental milestone and a concept that was pioneered by child psychologist Jean Piaget. You can gauge a child’s understanding of object permanence by their reaction when you hide a favourite toy. If the child appears confused or upset and doesn’t look for the toy, then they haven’t yet grasped the concept. If, however, they start looking for the toy then they know that it still exists and they want it back! Another indicator is a child’s reaction when you leave the room. If the baby doesn’t respond or settles quickly, they don’t understand object permanence. If, however, they become upset and want to follow you, then they have an understanding of the concept. 2. WHY IT MATTERS In the first few months of life, babies inhabit a world of the ‘here and now’. While they recognise some familiar faces, their memory development is in its earliest stages and they explore their world through movement and the senses. Understanding object permanence signals an important development in an infant’s working memory, as it means they can now form, and retain, a mental representation of an object. It also marks the beginning of a baby’s understanding of abstract concepts. Where previously babies inhabited a world that consisted only of things they could see, hear and touch, they now enter a world that is more permanent. With an understanding of object permanence, babies are able to explore and interact in more complex ways. 3. WHEN IT DEVELOPS According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, object permanence is one of the most significant aspects of development in the sensorimotor phase (from birth to two). Piaget believed object permanence develops in infants at about eight months old. However, research has since demonstrated children as young as four months can understand the concept. 4. ACTIVITIES LINKED TO IT Games, books and activities in which things are hidden and then reappear are ideal for developing children’s understanding of object permanence, and babies and toddlers will derive enormous pleasure from finding hidden objects. Here are some ideas to try: Play peek-a-boo. Vary the game as children’s awareness develops – for example, pop out from behind your hands, instead of simply removing them from your face. Play ‘hide and seek’. Cover and uncover small objects with a scarf or piece of fabric. Or hide a toy and encourage the child to find it. Always show the child the object first, talk through what you are going to do and perhaps encourage the child to start hunting by looking for the toy under some cushions. Share action or finger rhymes that involve objects vanishing and then reappearing, such as ‘Two little dicky birds’ and ‘This little piggy went to market’. Provide containers with small objects in them. The child will enjoy ‘experimenting’, taking things out and putting them back in. Share simple pop-up toys and baby books, as well as books with things hidden under flaps. Support children’s interest in ‘posting’ objects. For example, provide a range of small objects to ‘post’ down large cardboard tubes. 5. SEPARATION ANXIETY Object permanence often coincides with separation anxiety. For young babies, an adult is soon ‘out of sight, out of mind’ when they leave the room. However, that often changes at about eight months old. At this age, a child not only grasps object permanence but also has developed a strong attachment to the significant adults in their lives. Nap and bedtimes as well as drop-offs at nurseries can become problematic, with many parents reporting that their babies start to show high levels of anxiety when they leave. Developing strong bedtime and goodbye routines can help alleviate this anxiety, and most babies will eventually learn through experience that their parents will always return. MORE INFORMATION Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html Download Now |
What is the name of the term for when a child learns that an object still exists even though they cant see it at the moment?
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