Piaget - Object Permanence

Question 1

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Answer 1

PIAGETS COG DEVELOPMENT THEORY

• development occurs as a result of biological maturation and environmental experience
• includes 4 discrete stages that symbolises child’s construction of mental model of world
• each stage must be experienced and not missed

Question 2

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Answer 2

OBJECT PERMANENCE OUTLINE

• realisation of objects continue to exist when they are no longer visible
• occurs at 2y (end of first sensorimotor stage of development)
• during this stage infants limited in pré-existing knowledge
• but schemas and knowledge progressed through attempts to coordinate sensory input and motor capabilities

Question 3

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EMPIRICAL SUPPORT

• this claim, supported by Piagets observation of own children
• toy hidden under blanket while child watched. Observed whether child searched for hidden toy
• found that between 4-8m child failed to search (don’t exist) but between 8-12 infant tends to search where it was previously found
• object concept improves and is solidified at 24m where permanence is fully developed
• child can make mental representations and use schemas

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ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS

• Piaget assumed children under 8m do not have mental representation and that’s why they didn’t look
• BUT, MEHLER+DUPOUX (1994) could be that child was distracted or lost interest in object = lack of motivation
• or child did not possess physical coordination to carry out movements necessary to look for object
• supporting studies misattribute performance levels with competency
• reduced internal validity and weakens usefulness

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UNDERESTIMATED COG ABILITIES

• neonativists argue child born with innate knowledge of physical world and so require less time to develop object permanence
• BOWER+WISHART (1972) experiment of 1-4m child where they waited for child to reach for an object and turned off lights so object hidden
  Filmed with infrared and showed child reached for object up to 90secs after it became invisible
  = object permanence shown to occur earlier than 2years

Question 6

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Answer 6

STAGE THEORY CRITIQUE

• argument against concept of discrete stages
• MEADOWS found inconsistencies in performance of child within stages of dev
• cog progression not limited to stages and age restrictions predicted by Piaget
• stages now seen as overlapping and continuous rather than discrete in nature