Characterize stranger anxiety and separation anxiety. Summarize the explanation of these phenomena offered by ethological theorists and cognitive-developmental theorists

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Stranger anxiety appears during the latter half of the first year of life. The infant becomes visibly upset at the approach of a stranger, though less so if the mother or other primary caregiver is present. Separation anxiety appears at about the same time and involves visible distress when the mother leaves the infant. Separation anxiety is lessened if the infant is in a familiar environment, has familiar objects around, and sees the mother depart to a familiar place. Explanations: (1) ethologists argue that the fact of separation and the presence of a stranger trigger preprogrammed reactions to "danger," and (2) the cognitive-developmental viewpoint suggests that once schemes for familiar faces have been formed, faces that are discrepant arouse anxiety. Similarly, once an infant has developed object/person permanence, a violation of the infant's expectancy regarding a caregiver's whereabouts arouses anxiety.