HOSA Human Growth and Development Practice Test 2026 – The All-in-One Guide to Achieve Exam Success!

The term that describes the progressive acquisition of skills and the capacity to function is development. This encompasses a wide range of changes throughout a person's life, including physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. By referring to development, we recognize that individuals learn and improve their abilities gradually as they interact with their environment, receive education, and undergo various life experiences. Development is often viewed as a continuous process that occurs from infancy through adulthood.

Maturation refers specifically to the biological and physical growth processes that take place as an individual ages, focusing on the timing and sequence of these changes rather than skill acquisition. Heredity relates to the genetic traits passed down from parents to offspring and does not directly describe skill acquisition. Personality involves the characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that differentiate individuals, which can be influenced by development but does not encompass the broader concept of acquiring skills.