Nicholas Wells

English 1121

Definition Essay

What is Object Permanence

While for many infants a thing out of sight is also out of mind, there is a developmental milestone, called object permanence, that children reach when he or she realizes that the object exists even when it can't be seen. The term was coined by child development expert and psychologist Jean Piaget. The true definition of object permanence according to Wikipedia is "Object permanence is the term used to describe the awareness that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible." Most children reached the object permanence stage when they were about eight or nine months old. However, all children develop slightly differently, and may reach this stage earlier or later than others.

Parents, of course, have been testing object permanence for years with young babies. Games of peek-a-boo with a three month old are quite delightful because the child will often be pleasantly surprised each time one covers one's hands with one's face and then reappears. According to Piaget's theory, the delight results in the sudden reappearance of the parent, who magically disappeared and came back. Children over five or six months may also hide under blankets and expect that their parents can't possibly find them, since the child cannot see the parent.

Lack of object permanence might also explain why children tend not to fuss as much when they are younger and the parent leaves. Yet this is not always the case, and calls into question some of Piaget's theories. For instance, studies testing breastfed week-old infants suggest they can easily differentiate between their mother's breast milk and other breastmilk. Basing the concept of object permanence on what can be only visually perceived discounts what can be heard, smelled or touched. In complete dark for instance, a baby far too young to have developed object permanence may feel comforted by the touch and smell of a mom sleeping nearby or picking up the baby. The mother exists even before the sight of the mother can be determined. Thus vision cannot be the only factor guiding object permanence. However, it is clear that as infants begin to expand their visual perception they may seem quite surprised by the sudden visual disappearance of a beloved toy or person. They may however be still able to smell, hear or sense the missing object. A child who had a clear concept of object permanence might reach for the toy or try to grab the blanket off the toy. A child who had not yet developed object permanence might appear distressed that the toy had disappeared.

This is object permanence. In the essay here it shows you one firm example, but there are many. Object permanence is found all around everyone every day. In the work enviroment and at home. Object permanence the ability to be aware that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible. Kind of like this essay after someone reads it they know it will still exist even though they proably will never see it again.