During the Sensorimotor stage, which concept develops?

• A. Object permanence develops during Sensorimotor stage
• B. Conservation develops during Sensorimotor stage
• C. Abstract reasoning emerges during Sensorimotor stage
• D. Formal reasoning emerges during Sensorimotor stage

Answer: (A)

Object permanence is the key idea developing during the Sensorimotor stage. In this period, from birth to about 2 years, infants learn about the world through direct interaction with objects and their own actions. They gradually realize that objects exist even when they can’t be seen or touched. This understanding becomes clearer as they begin to search for hidden items and, later, form mental representations of objects they can’t currently observe. Its development marks a move from reflexive, sensor-based activity to more purposeful and internal thinking.

Conservation, abstract reasoning, and formal reasoning come later. Conservation—understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in arrangement—appears in the concrete operational stage (roughly 7–11 years). Abstract reasoning and formal reasoning emerge in the formal operational stage, typically adolescence and beyond.