Counselor Education Comprehensive Exam (CECE) Practice Exam

In which stage of Piaget's cognitive development do children learn to recognize object permanence?

1. Sensorimotor

2. Preoperational

3. Concrete operational

4. Formal operational

The correct answer is: Sensorimotor

The correct answer is based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development, which outlines specific stages through which children progress as they grow and develop their understanding of the world. In the sensorimotor stage, which spans from birth to approximately 2 years, children learn about the world primarily through their senses and motor activities. One of the key milestones during this stage is the concept of object permanence, which refers to the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or otherwise perceived. Infants initially do not understand that objects remain in existence outside of their immediate perception, but as they develop, they begin to realize that covered or hidden objects still exist. This realization typically emerges towards the end of the sensorimotor stage, indicating a foundational cognitive skill that supports future learning and reasoning. The other stages—preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational—occur later in a child's development and focus on different cognitive processes, such as symbolic thinking, logical reasoning, and abstract thought, but none of them are primarily associated with the development of object permanence.