A part of the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development as described by Jean Piaget (1896–1980). Object permanence develops during the second year of life. The child is able to maintain a mental image of the object. For example, the child will look for a toy after it disappears.
The conviction that an object remains perceptually constant over time and exists even when it is out of sight.
The understanding that an object continues to exist even though one does not have immediate knowledge of it through the senses, such as touch, sight, or smell; a key concept children develop in the sensory motor stage of cognitive development, according to Jean Piaget.