At the end of the sensorimotor stage, a child demonstrates which concept, understanding that an object exists even when out of sight?

• A. Object permanence
• B. Egocentrism
• C. Conservation
• D. Abstract reasoning

Answer: (A)

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not directly perceived. In the sensorimotor stage, infants learn about the world through their actions and senses, and reaching this milestone shows they’re no longer limited to what is immediately visible. By the end of this stage, a child will search for hidden objects and understand that they still exist even when out of sight, rather than assuming they disappeared. Before this, some infants may search for the object where they last found it (an early clue called the A-not-B tendency), but with object permanence, they recognize the object’s continued existence in a new location. This concept contrasts with egocentrism (perspective-taking limits), conservation (quantities remaining the same despite changes in appearance), and abstract reasoning (thinking about non-concrete concepts), which appear in later developmental stages.