The stage IV error in Piaget's theory of object concept development: difficulties in object conceptualization or spatial localization?

Abstract

EVANS, WILSON F., and GRATCH, GERALD. The Stage IV Error in Piaget's Theory of Object Concept Development: Difficulties in Object Conceptualization or Spatial Localization? CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1972, 43, 682-688. Piaget defines Stage IV in the infant's development of the object concept in terms of the AB error. He says the infant searches at A when he sees the object hidden at B because the infant interprets the object as the thing-ofplace A. To evaluate this explanation, 12 9-month-old infants found a toy twice in succession at A and then observed that a different toy was hidden at B. 12 infants saw the same toy hidden at both A and B. The majority of the infants in each group made the AB error, suggesting that the AB error may be best viewed as simply a place-going error.