Question

Explain how a child develops object permanence during Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage. Make sure to fully explain the concept object permanence in your answer. Is object permanence related to the development of an attachment to one’s primary caregivers (in most cases the parents)? Explain.

Answer 1

Object permanence refers to a child's ability to know that objects continue to exist even though they can no longer be seen or heard. In Piaget's theory of cognitive development, infants develop this understanding by the end of the sensorimotor stage. During this stage, infants rely on their motor development to understand the world, by which they create representations of objects. Piaget believed that representational thought begins to emerge between 18 and 24 months. At this point, children can symbolically imagine things that cannot be seen and can therefore understand object permanence.