Papers and discussants' comments from a symposium on issues concerning infants' reactions to strangers are presented. Researchers agreed that there is a developmental shift in infant behavior at 7 to 9 months of age when the infant becomes more cautious in approaching strangers. However, investigators hypothesize that the presence of the mother, the mother-child relationship, or the context in which the child-stranger interactions occur may affect the strength and quality of that interaction in differing ways. Symposium discussants suggest that infant fear of strangers may not be as prevalent or as unidimensional as once supposed. Suggestions are made for more precise research methods, observational techniques, and behavioral scoring. (BRT)