Object Permanence: How And When Does A Baby Develop This Cognition?

Early childhood development in babies is something that no parent must miss! Your baby can look at you and smile, recognise faces, squeal in delight, look for things that are out of sight, etc., as they start achieving their milestones. It is a time where children develop the most when it comes to their physical, cognitive, language, and socio-emotional growth. And, all of this happens before the baby turns eight years old! Almost like magic!

So, activities like hiding behind a curtain or covering a toy with a blanket don’t surprise kids after a certain age. The little geniuses will locate the hidden object or the person effortlessly. OK, maybe with some effort. This ability, by the way, is called ‘Object Permanence’. No, it’s not the same as some of the tricks magicians carry out. That’s an illusion wherein the hidden object will remain hidden until it is revealed. In the case of object permanence, the hidden object is present all the time, and the understanding that it exists even when it is hidden is developed. Read to know more about this intellectual skill.

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What Is Object Permanence?

Object permanence is the skill of knowing that an object exists or continues to exist even when they can no longer see it. If you’ve tried hiding a toy in plain sight and seen the baby look confused or surprised, your child hasn’t yet developed this skill. Some babies even look amazed or bawl their eyes out at not being able to see the hidden object when the reality is that the object is always there.

The concept has been around for about half a century and is also known as Piaget’s Theory as it was discovered by a Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget. Let’s look at what the theory states.

What Is Piaget’s Theory?

Piaget’s theory pertains to the nature of the development of human intelligence and how humans acquire, construct, and use knowledge.

According to Jean Piaget, intelligence in kids develops in stages, which are:

1. Sensorimotor Stage – This stage develops from birth to 2 years of age, and this is when the child discovers and learns things about themselves and their environment.
2. Preoperational Stage – This stage develops between 2 to 7 years of age. Kids show a considerable development in their language skills, begin symbolic or pretend play, and can understand concepts and ideas that are not physical.
3. Concrete Operational Stage – It develops between 7 and 11 years. This is when kids learn concrete and logical rules of objects, for example, weight, height, and volume.
4. Formal Operational Stage – The formal operational stage develops in kids aged 12 and above, during which kids can solve problems and continue learning and understanding abstract concepts and logical rules.

When Do Babies Develop Object Permanence?

Babies develop object permanence around the age of 8 months. This development takes place in the sensorimotor stage (within the first 2 years of the child’s life). When your little one can reveal the hidden object, you know they’ve reached this stage of their development.

Why Is Object Permanence Important For Babies?

If you’ve experienced your child cry their eyes out when you’re heading out without them, you’ll know what we’re talking about! The idea of separation from their favourite person or toy, or the caregiver, induces fear in babies. This is called separation anxiety, which we shall discuss in the next part of the article. Babies need to develop an understanding and reasoning about the existence of the object or a person that is not physically present at that moment. In addition, it also helps with language and emotional development in kids.

Now, let’s take a look at how separation anxiety is related to object permanence.

Relation Between Object Permanence And Separation Anxiety

As explained earlier, separation anxiety is the fear of separation from the primary caregiver. Most babies become clingy, throw tantrums, and cry for hours when they are physically separated from their caregivers. Your preschooler, if you have one, is likely to express the fear in a similar way when you’re leaving them at the preschool in the initial phases or until the skill of object permanence is developed. So, separation anxiety is closely related to object permanence. You, as a parent, can introduce and encourage object permanence into your child’s life and help them curb separation anxiety in the early stages of their life.

How To Know If Your Baby Understands Object Permanence?

You already know some of the ways babies express their understanding of object permanence, such as searching for a hidden toy. Here are a few more:

• Recognising toys or objects
• Recognising faces
• Expressing separation anxiety by crying
• Hides or changes the location of an object and looks for it
• Point at the location of the hidden object
• Crawls or walks in the direction of the location the object is hidden at
• Displays advanced understanding of object permanence through actions like waving goodbye or giving flying kisses to someone leaving the room or the house

How Does A Baby Develop Object Permanence?

As informed earlier, babies naturally develop this ability when they turn 8 months old; however, younger babies also demonstrate object permanence when they are encouraged. This is because babies explore and interact with their surroundings through their senses and movements. As they grow, the understanding of the existence of objects or people, even when they cannot see them, develops.

You can help your baby develop the skill through simple activities, too.

What You Can Do To Develop Object Permanence In Your Baby

An easier way to help your baby develop the skill is to approach these exercises as playtime. You’ll not only help your baby develop this intellectual skill early on but also create an incredible bond with them.

1. Play Hiding Games

Games, such as hide and seek and peek-a-boo help warm up to the idea of people going away from them physically. They help kids understand that the person exists even if they cannot see them.

2. Hide Objects in Plain Sight

Take your child’s favourite toy, keep it under a blanket or a scarf in front of them, and encourage them to find it. You may also keep a small toy on a table and cover it with a cup or a bowl and ask your little one to locate it. Be sure you bring your child’s attention to the object when you’re hiding it or else, they wouldn’t know what they are supposed to look for.

3. Role Swapping

Roleplay engages kids in creative ways and is a great tool to introduce or encourage object performance. Swap roles with your child and let them be the one who goes to the office every day or runs errands. Make the act of leaving a casual thing by giving them a small bag and a peck on their cheek before waving them goodbye. And when the child returns, greet them normally as grown-ups do.

4. Toys and Books

Toys like object permanence ball boxes and pop-up books are great for building this skill. Toys physically engage babies in the activity and encourage logical thinking and problem-solving. They can also help relieve tension in the muscles, stress, and restlessness. Pop-up books, on the other hand, make books interactive. They thus help babies improve their vocabulary, reading skills, visualisation, and imagination.

In a nutshell, the ability to form a memory or a visual representation of something in the brain will help your baby understand the world around them and how it functions on a daily basis. Now that you know a little more about this ability, you will be better equipped to make this observation in your little one and even encourage its development!