Final answer:
Object constancy is a cognitive milestone where toddlers learn that objects exist even when not seen, typically understood fully between 24 to 36 months. Mastery of this concept allows for self-recognition and complex engagement with their environment, indicative of cognitive development during the sensorimotor stage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Object Constancy in Toddlers
Object constancy is an important cognitive milestone typically achieved by toddlers between the ages of 24 to 36 months. This developmental stage is part of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development, spanning from birth to approximately 2 years of age.
During this period, infants and toddlers learn about their world through their senses and actions. Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible; this concept develops around 8 months old but continues to mature as children approach their second year.
By the time they are 24 to 36 months old, toddlers not only maintain this understanding but also begin to engage in more complex cognitive activities like recognizing themselves in mirrors or photographs, indicating a developed self-concept.
Toddlers who have mastered object permanence delight in games such as hide and seek, understanding that hidden objects or people will return.
This is also the age at which they develop self-recognition, demonstrating the ability to identify themselves in pictures or in a mirror. Altogether, these cognitive milestones highlight the remarkable growth and development that occurs during the early years of a child's life.