If you have a younger sibling, cousin, or just simply know any infants, there is a good chance you have played Peek-A-Boo at some point in your life. Watching their reaction throughout this game is entertaining to us, but have you ever wondered why it is to them? It is much more than the funny faces and noises you naturally add in. This simple game is actually very complex to a baby and can be explained by Jean Piaget’s developmental stages.
Until around the age of two, babies are in what is called a sensorimotor stage. During this stage, the idea of object permanence is not developed. To put it simply, if they do not see an object, that object does not exists to them. When they do develop this idea of object permanence, they will realize that objects still exist even if you can not see them. Accordingly, during Peek-A-Boo, when you cover your face with your hands, you have disappeared. And when you quickly remove your hands, you have magically reappeared.
Throughout my senior year of high school, I babysat twin baby girls. (You can see them representing penn state in the picture ^) I started babysitting them when they were about three months old. Once I learned why infants found Peek-A-Boo so amusing, I decided to try it out myself, now being able to understand their point of view. They were about 7 months old at this point. I sat them both in their highchairs and ended up playing Peek-A-Boo for much longer than planned. Their expression when you “disappear” is priceless. They seem so confused and concerned. And when you reveal your face, they laugh and smile. It never gets old for them.
This topic can be related back to science because it explains one of the stages of brain development. The sensorimotor stage is the first stage of development and is when infants begin to discover the relationship between their own bodies and the world or environment around them. Next time you have the chance to, play Peek-A-Boo with a 5-12 month year old, now with the knowledge behind what makes it so entertaining for them.
source: http://study.com/academy/lesson/piagets-object-permanence-in-infants-definition-examples-quiz.html
I always played pick-a-boo with babies, I just thought they found it funny. I am really glad you posted about this, because I would have never thought that such a simple game could actually explain an infant’s brain development. I also found that peek-a-boo is a way for communicating for babies. Once a baby laughs, it is nearly impossible to not laugh back. By laughing back you are communicating in a way that the babies can understand.