If the phrase “object permanence” doesn’t mean anything to you, then you probably haven’t spent much time lately sprawled on the floor next to an infant.

My granddaughter has, among the phalanx of educational toys vying for her attention, an object permanence box, which is basically a wooden cube, a little smaller than a square Kleenex box, with a hole in the side. Colorful cloths are tucked into the hole and disappear. Then they’re pulled out of the box, and reappear. Voila!

Opinion

Why is this important? Let me pull a few lines from a recent academic paper :

“Knowing that objects continue to exist when they cannot be directly observed or sensed is called ‘object permanence.’ This fundamental cognitive skill is important for working memory and allows us to form and retain mental repre

See Full Page