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Recent advances in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, neuroscience and robotics have stimulated the birth and growth of a new research field, known as computational autonomous mental development. Although human mental development is a wellknown subject of study, e.g., in developmental psychology, computational studies of mental development for either machines or humans had not received sufficient attention in the past. Mental development is a process during which a brain-like natural or artificial embodied system, under the control of its intrinsic species-specific developmental program residing in the genes or artificially designed, develops mental capabilities through its autonomous real-time interactions with its environments (including its own internal environment and components) using its own sensors and effectors. The scope of mental development includes cognitive, behavioral, emotional and all other mental capabilities that are exhibited by humans, higher animals and artificial systems. Investigations of the computational mechanisms of mental development are expected to improve our systematic understanding of the working of the wide variety of cognitive and behavioral capabilities in humans and to enable autonomous development of these highly complex capabilities by robots and other artificial systems.