A puppet behind the back creates distress in a 6-month-old because the child has not yet developed:

• A. Coping skills
• B. Object permanence
• C. Conscious thought
• D. Fine motor skills

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is object permanence—the idea that things continue to exist even when you can’t see them. At six months, infants are just starting to develop this understanding. If a puppet disappears behind the back, the baby may cry because they don’t yet realize the puppet still exists even though it’s out of sight. They’re relying on what they can see, so the hidden puppet feels like it’s gone. Coping skills, conscious thought, and fine motor skills don’t explain this distress: coping skills involve later emotional regulation, conscious thought isn’t developed enough to handle hidden objects, and fine motor skills don’t address the issue of something disappearing from view.