Children's perception of continuous and discontinuous movement

The significance of E.S. Spelke and colleagues' (E.S. Spelke & C. Hofsten, 1986; E.S. Spelke & R. Kestenbaum, 1986; E.S. Spelke, R. Kestenbaum, D.J. Simons, & D. Wein, 1995) results that conflict with J. Piaget's (1952, 1955) theory of the object concept development was examined by a modified replication of E.S. Spelke and R. Kestenbaum's study. The present study involved 2- to 4-year-olds and events consisting of teddy bear pictures moving along a continuous or discontinuous course, with entering and exiting figures identical (ID) to or different (DIF) from one another. Forty participants in each age group saw all events in random order and gave verbal interpretations. The authors judged ID events as involving 1 object and DIF events as involving 2 objects. Continuity of movement failed to affect judgments of numerical identity. Implications for Piaget's theory and Spelke's theory are discussed.