Which Piaget stage is associated with the development of object permanence?

• A. Sensorimotor
• B. Preoperational
• C. Concrete Operational
• D. Formal Operational

Answer: (A)

Object permanence—the understanding that objects continue to exist even when not visible—develops during the sensorimotor stage. In this period, infants move from reflexive actions to deliberate, goal-directed behaviors and begin to search for hidden objects, signaling that they grasp that unseen items still exist. This typically emerges around 8–12 months and is refined as they gain experience. The next stages focus on other abilities: the preoperational stage emphasizes symbolic thinking and language, the concrete operational stage adds logical reasoning with concrete objects, and the formal operational stage involves abstract reasoning. Thus, the milestone of object permanence belongs to the sensorimotor period.