Editing Object permanence (section)

{{Short description|Understanding that objects exist when unobserved}}
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'''Object permanence''' is the understanding that whether an [[Physical object|object]] can be [[sense|sensed]] has no effect on whether it continues to [[Existence|exist]]. This is a fundamental concept studied in the field of [[developmental psychology]], the subfield of [[psychology]] that addresses the development of young children's social and mental capacities. There is not yet scientific consensus on when the understanding of object permanence emerges in human development.

[[Jean Piaget]], the Swiss psychologist who first studied object permanence in infants, argued that it is one of an infant's most important accomplishments, as, without this concept, objects would have no separate, permanent existence. In [[Piaget's theory of cognitive development]], infants develop this understanding by the end of the "[[sensorimotor stage]]", which lasts from birth to about two years of age.<ref name="Santrock">{{Cite book | year=2008 | title = A topical approach to life-span development | first=John W.|last=Santrock | edition=4 | publisher=McGraw-Hill | place=New York City | isbn=978-0-07-3133768}}</ref> Piaget thought that an infant's perception and understanding of the world depended on their [[Motor skill|motor development]], which was required for the infant to link visual, tactile and motor representations of objects. According to this view, it is through touching and handling objects that infants develop object permanence.<ref name="bremner">{{cite book |last=Bremner |first=JG |title=Infancy |year=1994 |publisher=Blackwell |edition=2 |isbn=978-0-631-18466-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/infancy0000brem_s1x4 }}</ref>