At what age do infants start focusing on familiar people in their environment?

Infants begin to focus on familiar people typically between 10 weeks and 6-8 months of age. During this developmental stage, they start to recognize caregivers and other significant figures in their lives. This recognition is a sign of their social development and an important aspect of forming attachments, which are crucial for their emotional and cognitive growth.

Between birth and 10 weeks, infants are primarily focused on basic needs and sensory experiences, rather than social recognition. As they reach 10 weeks, their vision improves, and they become more aware of their surroundings, leading to increased interest in familiar faces. By 6-8 months, they demonstrate stronger engagement with familiar individuals, often showing excitement or distress depending on the social context.

In contrast, the stages that occur later, from 8 months to 18-24 months and beyond, are characterized by further development of social skills and attachment behaviors, such as separation anxiety and the ability to form more complex relationships, but the initial focus on familiar people specifically begins between 10 weeks and 6-8 months.