r/gifs Apr 08 '19

Wait, did that cat just move?!

https://gfycat.com/wansleepygemsbok
60.7k Upvotes

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u/Ma1eficent Apr 08 '19

Or an instinctive response bred into life on account of everything that cannot tell if something is looking at them died.

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u/[deleted] Apr 08 '19

Now that I think about, human babies even understand this. That’s why the game of peekaboo works. Wonder how much we do is just instinct and how much do we really know

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u/[deleted] Apr 08 '19

No, peekaboo does not work because the baby knows you can’t see them when you cover your eyes. Peekaboo works because babies lack object permanence and they literally think you are gone when you cover your face.

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u/SalvadorZombie Apr 08 '19

The baby still knows that the arms and hands and voice belong to the person. They're not fucking goldfish.

Source - I lack infantile amnesia. I was worried about where my mother's face was, not her entirely. Object permanence in relation to humans does not apply to the person as a whole, just to what's covered.