What factors can affect how a person develops?
The factors that affect human development - inherited (genetic), environmental, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors - and how each can support or limit development.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the factors that affect human development - inherited, environmental, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors - and how each can support or hold back a person's development.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to identify the factors that affect development and explain how each one can support or limit how a person grows. This builds directly on the principle that development is an interaction of the individual and the environment: the factors are the specific things on each side of that interaction.
Inherited (genetic) factors
These include physical features such as height potential, eye colour and body type, as well as some inherited health conditions. Inherited factors set out some of a person's potential, but they do not act alone: whether that potential is reached still depends on the environment. For example, inherited sporting potential will only develop fully if the person has chances to train.
Environmental factors
Environmental factors are everything in a person's surroundings and experiences. They include the family and the quality of relationships and attachment, the home and neighbourhood, education and the chance to learn, and the support available from people around the person.
The same inherited potential can lead to very different outcomes depending on the environment, which is the heart of the nature-nurture interaction.
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic factors are about a person's money and social position: income, employment, housing and the area they live in.
- Income and employment decide what a family can afford: healthy food, warm housing, books, activities and opportunities. Low income can limit these and hold development back.
- Housing matters: a warm, safe, settled home supports health and study, while poor or overcrowded housing can harm them.
- Area and access to services count: good schools, parks, healthcare and transport support development; poor access limits it.
Socioeconomic factors often have a large effect because they shape so many of the resources around a person.
Lifestyle factors
Lifestyle factors are the choices and habits a person (or their family) follows day to day.
- Diet. A balanced diet supports growth, energy and a healthy weight; a poor diet can cause poor growth or health problems.
- Exercise. Regular activity strengthens the body; a very inactive lifestyle can harm health.
- Harmful habits. Smoking, alcohol and drug misuse can damage health and limit development and wellbeing.
- Sleep and routine. Enough sleep and a stable routine support development, especially in children.
Why factors matter in care
Understanding factors helps a care worker explain why people develop differently and, crucially, what can be changed. A care worker cannot alter someone's genes, but improving the environment, reducing socioeconomic disadvantage and supporting healthier lifestyle choices can all genuinely improve a person's development and wellbeing. This is why much care work focuses on these factors.
Try this
Q1. Name two socioeconomic factors that can affect development. [1 mark]
- Cue. Any two of income, employment, housing or area.
Q2. State one lifestyle factor and how it can support physical development. [1 mark]
- Cue. A balanced diet supports growth, energy and a healthy weight (or regular exercise strengthens the body).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style4 marksExplain how socioeconomic factors can affect a person's development. Use examples.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark explain question needs developed points with examples, so give two clear ways and link each to development.
Way 1. Income and money affect the resources a person can access. A family on a low income may struggle to afford healthy food, a warm home or activities, which can hold back physical and intellectual development. A higher income can support better nutrition, housing and opportunities.
Way 2. Housing and area affect development too. Poor or overcrowded housing can damage health and limit space to study or play, while a safe, settled home supports it. Living in an area with good schools and services helps development; the opposite limits it.
Markers reward each socioeconomic factor that is explained and tied to development with an example. Listing factors with no explanation, or naming a non-socioeconomic factor such as genes, would not gain full marks.
SQA N5 style3 marksDescribe how lifestyle factors can affect a person's physical development or health.Show worked answer →
This is a describe question worth 3 marks, so make three clear, correct points about lifestyle and the body.
Point 1. Diet affects development and health: a balanced diet supports growth, energy and a healthy weight, while a poor diet can lead to poor growth, tiredness or health problems.
Point 2. Exercise affects physical health: regular activity strengthens the heart, muscles and bones and helps maintain a healthy weight, while a very inactive lifestyle can harm health.
Point 3. Harmful habits affect health: smoking, alcohol or drug misuse can damage the body and limit development or wellbeing.
Markers reward clear lifestyle factors correctly linked to physical development or health. Repeating the same point in different words, or naming an inherited factor, would limit the marks.
Related dot points
- The principles of human development - that age groups are only general indicators of developmental change, that change does not always happen in discrete stages, and that development results from an interaction between the individual and the environment.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the principles of human development, covering age as a general indicator, why change does not always happen in neat stages, and how development results from the interaction of the individual and the environment.
- The physical, intellectual, emotional and social (PIES) aspects of human development, what each covers, and how the aspects are linked.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the four aspects of human development - physical, intellectual, emotional and social (PIES) - explaining what each one covers and how the aspects are connected.
- The main life stages from infancy to later adulthood and the developmental changes typical of each stage across the lifespan.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on the main life stages from infancy to later adulthood, describing the typical developmental changes in each stage and how care needs change across the lifespan.
- How social influences such as family, poverty, unemployment, housing and discrimination can create or affect care needs and the wellbeing of individuals and groups.
An SQA National 5 Care answer on how social influences such as family, poverty, unemployment, housing and discrimination can create or affect care needs and the wellbeing of individuals and groups.
Sources & how we know this
- National 5 Care Course Specification — SQA (2017)