Final answer:
Both universal and discontinuous approaches to development are integral for understanding human growth, embodying different perspectives in developmental psychology on how change occurs - gradually or in distinct stages.
Step-by-step explanation:
Both universal and discontinuous approaches to development improve our understanding. Continuous development views change as a gradual improvement of existing skills, exemplified by a child's year-by-year growth in height. Conversely, discontinuous development suggests that development happens in distinct stages, such as when an infant suddenly grasps the concept of object permanence. These two perspectives are central to developmental psychology, which studies the varying patterns of change in human growth over a lifespan, including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains. Developmental theories, such as those proposed by Freud, Erikson, Piaget, and Kohlberg, address the continuity vs. discontinuity debate, the question of whether there is one course of development or many, and the influence of nature vs. nurture.