Final answer:
Stranger anxiety is a common developmental stage for babies around 8 months of age, where they show fear or distress around people they do not recognize, coinciding with their understanding of object permanence. It manifests as crying, clinging, or reaching for familiar caregivers and eases with time.
Step-by-step explanation:
Stranger anxiety is a developmental situation where babies around 8 months old begin to show fear or distress around unfamiliar people. This behavior is closely linked to the cognitive milestone known as object permanence, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. According to Jean Piaget, a renowned psychologist, stranger anxiety occurs as babies are starting to grasp object permanence but find it challenging to assimilate a stranger into their existing cognitive frameworks or schemas.
When a baby exhibits stranger anxiety, they may cry, cling to familiar caregivers, or reach out to their parents for comfort. These responses are typical for the age and reflect the infant's attachment to and preference for known and trusted adults. As part of normal child development, this anxiety eventually subsides as the child becomes more comfortable with new experiences and people.