Theories of Childhood, Second Edition (Carol Garhart Mooney) / quote 50 of 70
Object permanence and the dropped spoon
Piaget believed that in the beginning, babies’ reactions to the world are purely reflexive (without thought). He said that intelligence began when the reactions became purposeful. For example, when we watch an infant lying below a crib gym, we notice that initially he shows a startled response if his hand or foot hits a bell or rattle, but that, over time, he hits the bell on purpose. This first stage of cognitive development Piaget calls the sensorimotor stage. During this time the baby relies on his senses and physical activity to learn about the world. Toward the end of this first stage, Piaget says, object permanence occurs. Object permanence means that the baby has come to realize that something exists even when he can’t see it. This is a very important development for children. Before achieving this milestone, babies only think about what is in their view at the time. For example, if we carefully watch babies, we see that before eight or nine months they drop things from the high chair tray without making a fuss. For a young baby, if things are out of sight, they are literally out of mind. From the baby’s point of view, the things no longer exist. Then suddenly, at eight or nine or ten months, when that spoon drops from the tray, the baby leans over pointing and fussing and wanting it back. Often parents and providers are surprised and dismayed when they pick it up and hand it to a smiling baby who tosses it right back down again. This is not the beginning of premeditated attempts to drive adults crazy. This is the first burst of the joy of learning! This is object permanence. This is also the age at which we see separation anxiety in children. They cry when their parents leave them at child care or when their primary caregiver is not present. Now the baby understands that when his parent or provider is not in sight, that person is somewhere else. The caregiver hasn’t just ceased to exist. So the baby makes attempts to bring that important “other” back into view—by crying. To support cognitive development in children under two, Piaget’s theory tells teachers to keep babies safe but interested and to respond reassuringly to separation anxiety.