laravel 5 - PHP error method doesn't exist in the Child class, method_exists($child, $method) passes -

working laravel 5.1 here. have created 2 classes, 1 extending other:

abstract class activitytimeline extends model 

which has:

$this->fields = [    'owner_id',    'contact_name',    'mailing_label',    'source_id',    'source_raw',    'initial_referer_raw',    'primary_person',    'connections', ]; foreach ($this->fields $field) {     if (method_exists($this, $field)) {         dd('the method exists', $this, $field);         $timelineactivity[$field] = $this->{$field}();     } } 

and

class contactactivity extends activitytimeline { 

which has:

public function primary_person() {     return $this->getprimaryperson($this->record); } 

the "dd('the method exists', $this, $field);" returns following:

"the method exists"

contactactivity {#963 ▶}

"primary_person"

however when if statement passes, , attempt call method checked existence of, get:

badmethodcallexception in builder.php line 2123: call undefined method illuminate\database\query\builder::primary_person()

so seems i'm not working contactactivity object here, though dd shows am. know i'm doing wrong here wrong object?

i think it's because call child method parent class. try add

abstract function primary_person(); 

on activitytimeline class