Development is the pattern of the progressive, orderly and predictable changes that begin at conception and continue throughout the life.

Growth refers to increase in the size of body parts.

Maturation refers to the changes that follow an orderly sequence.

Difference between growth, development and maturation: Growth is a quantitative change, development is a qualitative change. Growth is confined to limited period while development occurs throughout the life.

The main features of life-span perspective on development are as follows:

(i) Development is lifelong i.e., it takes place across all age groups starting from conception to old age. It includes both gains and losses, which interact in dynamic ways throughout the lifespan.

(ii) The various processes of human development i.e., biological, cognitive, and socio-emotional are interwoven in the development of a person throughout the life span.

(iii) Development is multi-directional. Some dimensions or components of a given dimension of development may increase, while others show decrement. For example, the experiences of adults may make them wiser and guide their decisions. However, with and increase in age, one’s performance is likely to decrease on tasks requiring speed, such as running.

(iv) Development is highly plastic, i.e., within person, modifiability is found in psychological development though plasticity varies among individuals.

(v) Development is the concern of a number of disciplines. Different disciplines like psychology, anthropology, sociology and neurosciences study human development, each trying to provide answers to development throughout the life-span.

Certain patterns of behaviour and certain skills are learned more easily and successfully during certain stages. These accomplishments of a person become the social expectations of that stage of development. They are known as developmental tasks. The newborns in their first week of life are able to indicate what direction a sound is coming from, can distinguish their mother’s voice from the voices of other women, and can initate simple gestures like tongue protrusion and mouth opening.

As the infant grows, the muscles and nervous system mature which lead to the development of finer skills. Basic physical skills include grasping, walking and running.

Newborns have also sensory capabilities. They can here immediately after birth. With development, proficiency at localising sound improves. Newborns respond to touch and can feel pain. Both smell and taste capacities are also present in the newborn.

The child during infancy experiences the world through senses and interactions with objects through looking, hearing, touching, mouthing and grasping.

Babies from birth are social creatures. An infant starts preferring familiar faces and responds to parent’s presence by cooing and gurgling. They become more mobile by 6 to 8 months of age and start showing a preference for their mother’s company. When frightened by a new face or when separated from their mother, they cry or show distress. On being remited with the parent or care giver they reciprocate with smiles.

The influence of such an environment may make the child a little extroverted. Sandra Scarr believes that the environment parents provides as for their children depends to some extent on their own genetic predisposition. For example, if parents are intelligent and are good readers they would provide their children with books to read, with the likely outcome that their children would become good readers who enjoy reading. A child’s own genotype such as being co-operative, and attentive is likely to result in teachers and parents giving more pleasant response as compared to children who are not cooperative or not attentive.

Besides these, children themselves choose certain environments based on their genotype. For example, because of their genotype, children may perform well in music or sports and they will seek and spend more time in environments, which will enable them to perform their musical skills.