Object Permanence

Research on Infant Cognitive Development

• At the University of Illinois, researchers explore the cognitive abilities of newborns and young children through innovative experiments.

Professor Renee Beijon and Object Permanence

• Focus of the Study: Examines how babies develop the concept of object permanence.

• Definition of Object Permanence: Refers to beliefs about objects, primarily that they continue to exist even when hidden.

  • Fundamental Belief: Objects exist out of sight.

Historical Context: Jean Piaget's Contributions

• Jean Piaget: A prominent Swiss psychologist who was the first to study object permanence in infants.

• Piaget's Claims:

  • Infants understand objects exist when hidden at approximately 8 to 9 months of age.

  • By 12 months, babies begin to grasp that hidden objects retain their physical and spatial properties.

Experimental Tasks Designed by Researchers

• Purpose: To assess infants’ beliefs about object permanence through looking behavior in response to events.

• Methodology:

  • Infants observe a cart rolling down tracks, disappearing behind a screen, and then re-emerging.

  • A block is hidden behind the screen while the cart is observed.

  • Despite the block's presence, the cart rolls out as if unhindered, which contradicts real-world expectations.

Key Findings of the Research

• Observation: Babies look longer at impossible events compared to possible ones, indicating surprise or puzzlement.

• Research Outcomes:

  • Infants as young as 3.5 months (possibly younger) demonstrate an understanding of object permanence.

  • Indicates a richer and more sophisticated understanding of physical knowledge in infants than previously believed.

Implications of the Study

• Highlights the importance of re-evaluating infant cognitive development and understanding.

• Suggests that early cognitive abilities may be more developed than early theories proposed.