The factors affecting the social development of children are

CONCEPT: Social development refers to a child's growing ability to interact with others, form relationships, and internalise social norms and roles. Factors that shape a child's overall growth are usually grouped as hereditary, physical, social-environmental, and economic influences — but the factor that specifically drives SOCIAL development is the child's social environment: the family, peers, school, and community the child interacts with.

APPLICATION: Among the given options, only social-environmental elements names this domain directly. Regular interaction with family members, peer groups, teachers, and the wider community is what teaches a child cooperation, communication, social roles, and norms — that is, social development itself.

CONTRAST: The other options represent different categories of influence, not this one:

• economic elements: the family's income and financial standing (a material/resource factor)

• physical elements: bodily growth, motor skills, and general health (a biological growth factor)

• hereditary elements: traits and predispositions passed down genetically from parents

None of these three directly produces social behaviour the way ongoing interaction with the social environment does. Hence, social-environmental elements is the correct answer.