Thinking that his mother is in the kitchen, 10-month-old Billy becomes upset and cries when he crawls there from the living room and fails to find her. This observation supports the _____ interpretation(s) of separation anxiety.

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The observation that 10-month-old Billy becomes upset and cries when he crawls to the kitchen and fails to find his mother suggests that he has developed an understanding of object permanence, which is a key cognitive milestone in the cognitive-developmental interpretation of separation anxiety. According to this perspective, infants' anxiety about separation from their caregivers is linked to their emerging understanding that objects and people still exist even when they are out of sight. This understanding allows infants to anticipate and prepare for their caregivers' return, but it also leads to distress when they are separated from them. The psychoanalytic and evolutionary theory interpretations of separation anxiety would not directly account for this specific observation.

Thinking That His Mother Is in the Kitchen, 10-Month-Old Billy