"Object Permanence" is a major characteristic of which stage of child development?

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (b) Infancy
Explanation:
Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or sensed. Piaget identified this as a key milestone occurring during the Sensory-Motor stage, which corresponds to the period of Infancy.
Information Booster:
● Sensory-Motor Milestones: Object permanence usually develops between 8 and 12 months of age.
● Mental Representation: Its development signifies the start of a child's ability to hold images in their mind.
● Peek-a-boo: The excitement children feel in this game is tied to the developing concept of object permanence.
● Cognitive Foundation: It is essential for future development of memory and symbolic thinking.
● Search Behavior: Once achieved, the infant will look for a hidden toy rather than assuming it has vanished.
Additional Points:
● Option (a): Higher level – Early childhood focuses on language and symbolic play; object permanence is already well-established by then.
● Option (c): Logic phase – Middle childhood involves logical operations on concrete objects, a much later cognitive development.
● Option (d): Fully developed – Adults have mastered object permanence; it is not a defining characteristic of their developmental changes.

So the correct answer is (b)