Maturation vs Learning
The key difference between maturation and learning is that learning comes through experience, knowledge, and practice while maturation comes from within the individual as he grows and develops. Maturation and learning are interrelated concepts, which are different from each other. Psychologists have been keenly interested in studying the process of maturation and learning in human beings. According to psychologists, learning is a process that results in a behavioral change in the individual. Maturation, on the other hand, is a process where the individual learns to react to situations in an appropriate manner. Through this article let us examine the differences between maturation and learning.
What is Learning?
Learning can be simply defined as knowledge gained through study. This is a rather narrow definition as it positions learning within the educational context. This can be formal or else informal. Formal education includes school education. Imagine you are in a classroom. Depending on your age and capacity, the teacher imparts new knowledge to the student. This is a form of a learning process. However, learning goes beyond the classroom. The child is bombarded with information by different agents. Through the television, newspapers, the behavior of other individuals, the child gains new knowledge.
Psychologists define learning in a different manner. According to them, learning results in a change in the individual behavior through experience. Throughout our lives, we learn new things. This process takes place from birth itself till death. As small children, we learn how to walk, talk, eat and then we move on to more elaborate understandings of the world around us. Within the psychological context, it was Behaviorists who were mostly focused on human learning, as they believed that human behavior is a product of learning.
What is Maturation?
Maturation can be defined as the act of maturing. This not only refers to the physical growth that an individual comes across as he ages, but also the ability to behave, act, and react in an appropriate manner. In this sense, the concept of maturation goes beyond physical growth to embrace other aspects such as emotional and mental growth. Psychologists believe that maturity comes with individual growth and development. This is a process that takes place throughout our adult life, preparing the individual for new situations. Each situation prepares the individual for a situation.
Unlike in the case of learning that relies on experience and practice to create a change in individual behavior, maturation does not require such factors. It is acquired through the changes that the individual undergoes, or the individual growth.
Maturation includes physical, mental and emotional growth
What is the difference between Maturation and Learning?
• Definitions of Maturation and Learning:
• Learning is a process that results in a behavioral change in the individual.
• Maturation is a process where the individual learns to react to situations in an appropriate manner.
• Processes:
• Learning is through practice and experience.
• Maturation is through individual growth and development.
• External Stimuli:
• Learning is a response to external stimuli that result in individual change.
• Maturation does not need external stimuli.
• Maturation and Learning:
• Maturation influences the process of learning. If an individual has not achieved the necessary level of maturity, a particular learning behavior cannot be expected.
Images Courtesy:
- Learning by Terese Bird (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Principal fissures and lobes of the cerebrum viewed laterally via Wikicommons (Public Domain)
