Object permanence

The object permanence or Personenpermanenz is the cognitive ability to know that an object (or a person ) continues to exist even if it is outside the field of perception. The term goes back to the Swiss developmental psychologist and epistemologist Jean Piaget.

Development of object permanence in humans

Stages according to Piaget

According to Piaget, is the knowledge of the continued existence of objects that disappear out of sight, not innate but must be purchased in the course of cognitive development of the growing child only.

In the model of cognitive development according to Piaget object permanence in the first stage, the sensorimotor stage (0-2 years) is acquired. An object that is hidden in the early stages of development through a screening before the eyes of the child seems to literally disappear for the child. The object permanence develops according to Piaget in humans only from the age of 8 months. In the period 8-12 months, the concept is then formed, but results in the transition phase was the " A- not -B search error ", which was also described by Piaget.

Current Results

According to Piaget, the ability of object permanence occurs over a longer development process. Recent studies reported earlier children cognitive skills than after the findings of Piaget. This is especially due to methodological flaws in Piaget's experiments. His assignments often demanded additional motor, language and cognitive skills that had little to do with the competence to be examined. The object permanence tasks could be simplified in much earlier ( 3.5 months ) was observed.

Object permanence in animals

Object permanence is also present in some animals, such as ( non-human ) primates, cats, dogs, magpies and crows.

Dogs make when tested for object permanence a typical mistake that also 10 months old child, the A- not -B search error (A -not- B error ): If sequential lining hidden in two different locations A and B, they are looking for it at the place A, where it was first hidden. They do this even if they have observed that the food was hidden at another location B. Hand -reared wolves and monkeys do not make this mistake. It is attributed to the special ability to communicate with people who share the dogs with people, and that may be a result of domestication.