The nurse is observing parents playing with their 10-month-old child. Which should the nurse recognize as evidence that the child is developing object permanence?

A) Looks for the toy that parents hide under the blanket
B) Returns the blocks to the same spot on the table
C) Recognizes that a ball of clay is the same when flattened out
D) Bangs two cubes held in her hands

Object permanence is the realization that items that leave the visual field still exist. When the infant searches for the toy under the blanket, it is an indication that object permanence has developed. Returning the blocks to the same spot on the table is not an example of object permanence. Recognizing that a ball of clay is the same when flattened out is an example of conservation, which occurs during the concrete operations stage from 7 to 11 years. Banging two cubes together is a simple repetitive activity characteristic of developing a sense of cause and effect.