What is the term for the fear that a child feels towards unfamiliar faces?

Stranger anxiety refers specifically to the fear or apprehension that a child may exhibit when they encounter unfamiliar faces or people. This phenomenon typically emerges in infants around 6 to 12 months of age and can continue into the second year of life. The development of stranger anxiety is a normal stage in child development, as it reflects the child’s growing cognitive and emotional understanding of the world around them and their attachment to familiar caregivers.

Separation anxiety, on the other hand, is the distress experienced by a child when separated from their primary attachment figure, often a parent. Social anxiety refers to excessive fear or avoidance of social situations, which is generally more applicable to older children and adolescents and does not specifically relate to the response toward unfamiliar individuals. Attachment anxiety is not a widely recognized term in developmental psychology but could refer to concerns or worries related to close relationships.

In summary, stranger anxiety accurately describes the specific fear children exhibit toward unfamiliar people, making it the correct answer in this context.