A vast area that covers many topics such as how the ability to communicate both verbally and non-verbally is acquired, the roles of family dynamics in child development and the establishment of attachments. At the risk of oversimplifying things, a major and persistent concern in studying social development concerns the formation of friendships and relationships and the effects they have on gaining independence from caregivers. Each of these topics can include taking account of cognitive and emotional development.
See Cognitive development, Developmental psychology, Emotional development, Friendship, Social psychology