During infancy, the emergence of object permanence is best described as the understanding that:

• A. Object permanence
• B. Separation anxiety
• C. Object prehension
• D. Associative play

Answer: (A)

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible or directly sensed. In infancy, this idea emerges gradually: babies may act as if hidden things disappear at first, but as they approach the end of the first year they begin to search for and retrieve objects that are out of sight, showing they hold a mental representation of the object’s continued existence. An everyday example is playing peek-a-boo—initially surprising, but over time the child recognizes that the person is still there even when covered. This concept is distinct from separation anxiety (distress when a caregiver leaves), object prehension (the ability to grasp objects), or associative play (late preschool/social play with objects).