Objectives:
Define, compare, and contrast growth and
development.
Determine the general pattern of human
growth and development.
Describe the different principles of growth and
development.
Recognize the factors affecting growth and
development.
Identify the stages of growth and development.
Definition of Human Growth
Growth
the measurable physical changes
that occur throughout a person’s
life.
Development
Refers to the changes in intellectual,
mental, and emotional skills that occur
over time.
GROWTH
• It can be measured quantitatively.
• Indicators of growth include height, weight, bone size,
and dentition.
• The pattern of physiological growth is similar for all
people. However, growth rates vary during different
stages of growth and development.
*rapid during the prenatal, neonatal, infancy, and adolescent stages
and slows during childhood, and minimal during adulthood.
DEVELOPMENT
• Increase in the complexity of function and skill
progression of a person through growth, maturation,
and learning in order to adapt to the environment.
• The behavioral aspect of growth.
*a person develops the ability to walk, talk and think.
Important Points
1. Growth refers to structural physical changes,
like growth in height, weight and size of a
person.
2. Development includes qualitative changes
like social, mental and intellectual
development.
3. Growth and development differ from each other
significantly. Like, growth is concrete which can be
observed while development is abstract which
cannot be observed.
Important Points
4. There are 8 salient stages of development.
5. Many rules are included in the rules of
development, like, it is variable, occurs in a
definite sequence, it is a result of maturity and
learning. In this the early development is more
important than the later stage development.
Development is simpler to complex. Continuity
is found in development, etc.
Directional Trend
⚬ Growth and development proceed in regular directions
• The first pattern is the cephalocaudal, or head-to-tail, direction. The
head end of the organism develops first and is large and complex,
whereas the lower end is small and simple and takes shape at a later
period.
￭ Infants achieve control of their heads before they have control of their trunks and
extremities, hold their backs erect before they stand, use their eyes before their hands,
and gain control of their hands before they have control of their feet.
• Second, the proximodistal, or near-to-far, trend applies to the
midline-to-peripheral concept. A conspicuous illustration is the early
embryonic development of limb buds, which is followed by
rudimentary fingers and toes.
• The third trend, differentiation, describes development from simple
operations to more complex activities and functions, from broad,
global patterns of behavior to more specific, refined patterns.
￭ All areas of development (physical, cognitive, social, and emotional) proceed in this
direction.
Sequential Trend
• In all dimensions of growth and development there is a definite
predictable sequence/stages
￭ Children crawl before they creep, creep before they stand, and
stand before they walk.
￭ The child babbles, then forms words, and finally sentences;
writing emerges from scribbling.
• Later facets of the personality are built on the early foundation of trust.
Developmental Pace
• Development does not progress at the same rate or pace and each
child grows at his or her own pace.
￭ When a spurt occurs in one area (e.g., gross motor), minimal
advances may take place in language, fine motor, or social skills.
￭ After the gross motor skill has been achieved, the focus will shift
to another area of development.
￭ The rapid growth before and after birth gradually levels off
throughout early childhood.
￭ Growth is relatively slow during middle childhood, markedly
increases at the beginning of adolescence, and levels off in early
adulthood.
Sensitive Periods
• Periods termed critical, sensitive, vulnerable when a person is
susceptible to positive or negative influences.
1. Principle of Continuity
The development follows the principle of continuity which means that
development is a continuous process. It starts with pre-natal and ends with
death.
2. Principle of Integration
Development thus involves a movement from the whole to parts and from
parts to the whole and this way it is the integration of the whole and its parts
as well as the specific and general responses. It enables a child to develop
satisfactorily concerning various aspects or dimensions of his personality.
Example: Child first starts to learn hand movement then finger movement and then learn
the movement of both hand and finger together this is called integration
3. Principle of lack of uniformity in the developmental rate
Development through a continuous process, but does not exhibit steadiness
and uniformity in terms of the rate of development in various development of
personality or the developmental periods and stages of life.
Example: A person may have a high rate of growth and development in terms of height
and weight but may not have the same pace of mental and social development.
4. Principle of individual difference
Every organism is a distinct creation in itself. One of the most important
principles of development is that involves individual differences. There is no
fixed rate of development. That all children will learn to walk is universal, but
the time at which each child takes his her first step may vary.
5. Principle of uniformity pattern
Although development does not proceed at a uniform rate and shows marked
individual differences concerning the process and outcome of various stages
of development, it follows a definite pattern in one or the other dimension
which is uniform and universal concerning the individual of a species.
6. Principe of proceeding from general to specific
While developing any aspect of personality. The child first pickup or exhibit a
general response and learn how to show specific and goal-directed responses
afterwards.
7. Principle of interaction between Heredity and Environment
The development of a child is a process that cannot be defined wholly based
on either heredity or environment. Both have to play an important role in
development. There are arguments in favor of both. However, most
psychologists agree that an interplay of these two factors leads to
development.
Where heredity decides or sets some limits on development (mostly physical),
environmental influences complete the developmental process ( qualitative)..
Environmental influences provide space for multidimensional development
through interaction with family, peers, society, and so on. Growth and
development are a joint product of heredity and environment.
8. Principle of interrelation
Various aspects or dimensions of one’s growth and development are
interrelated. What is achieved or not achieved in one or other dimensions in
the course of the gradual and continuous process of development surely
affects the development of other dimensions.
A healthy body tends to develop a healthy mind and an emotionally stable,
physically strong, and socially conscious personality. Inadequate physical or
mental development may, on the other hand, result in a socially or
emotionally maladjusted personality.
9. Principle of Cephalocaudal
Development proceeds in the direction of the longitudinal
axis. Development from head to foot or toe. That is why,
before it becomes able to stand, the child first gains control
over his head and arms and then over his legs.
10. Principle of Proximodistal
Development of motor skills to start at central body parts to
outwards. That is why, in the beginning, the child is seen to
exercise control over the large fundamental muscles of the
arm and then hand and only afterwards over the smaller
muscles of the fingers.
11. Principle of predictability
Development is predictable, which means that with the help of the uniformity
of pattern and sequence of development. We can go to a great extent,
forecast the general nature and behavior of a child in one or more aspects or
dimensions at any particular stage of its growth and development. We can
know the particular age at which children will learn to walk, speak, and so on.
12. Principle of Spiral versus Linear advancement
The child doesn’t proceed straight or linear on the
path of development at any stage never takes
place at a constant or steady pace. After the child
had developed to a certain level, there is likely to
be a period of rest for consolidation of the
developmental progress achieved till then. In
advancing further, therefore, the development
turns back and then moves forward again in a
spiral pattern
13. Principle of Association of Maturation and Learning
Biological growth and development are known as maturation. Biological
changes involve changes in the brain and the nervous system, which provide
new abilities to a child. Development proceeds from simple to complex. In the
beginning, a child learns through concrete objects and gradually moves to
abstract thinking. This transition happens because of the maturation.
The growth and development are positively influenced by factors, like parental
health and genetic composition, even before conception
Genetic factors
play a primary role in growth and development. The genetic factors influencing
height is substantial in the adolescence phase.
Fetal health
has a highly influential role in achieving growth and development. Any stimulus
or insult during fetal development causes developmental adaptations that
produce permanent changes in the latter part of life.
Environmental factors
After birth, the environmental factors may exert either a beneficial or
detrimental effect on growth.
Socioeconomic factors
Children of higher socio-economical classes are taller than the children of the
same age and sex in the lower socioeconomic groups. Urbanization has
positively influenced growth. The secular trend is observed in growth where the
kids grow taller and mature more rapidly than the previous generation.
The family characteristics
The inadequate emotional support and inadequate developmental stimulus,
including language training, might cause growth and development
deterioration.
Genetic and environmental factors factors
influence the growth and development in a perplexing interrelated pathway.
Genetic and environmental risk factors are not mutually exclusive. Plasticity is
the potential of a specific genotype to bring out diversified phenotypes in
response to diverse environmental factors. The developmental plasticity can
happen from the embryonic stage to adolescence and can be passed onto the
next generation.
Nutrition
• Malnutrition plays a detrimental role in the process of growth and
development.
• Deficiencies of trace minerals can affect growth and development. Iron
deficiency usually affects psychomotor development and does not affect
growth. Zinc deficiency might cause growth retardation and developmental
delay.
• Growth faltering or rapid weight gain in early childhood influences health in
the later part of life. The diet in early childhood has a strong association with
the likelihood of obesity later in life.
Role of experience during early childhood
• Exposure to adverse experiences in early childhood might hinder
development. Profound neglect during early childhood can impair
development. Children adopted before six months of age have similar
development when compared to their non-adoptive siblings. If children
adopted after six months have a high risk of cognition deficits, behavioral
issues, autism, and hyperactivity. Early intervention for children with adverse
experiences is the pillar in healthy development.
