Lesson 1: The Principles of Learning

6 - Human Development: What is Learning? What is Maturation?

When and how do we learn? Some present-day psychologists have concluded that a new baby learns from the very first day of life. Other theories suggest that learning begins in the womb before birth. These views contradict an earlier belief that an infant is an unresponsive organism that can only breathe and eat.

Two major factors modify human behaviour. One is learning; the other is maturation. Maturation is the development of the individual through growth processes. It is controlled by internal biological factors. Maturation means the ordinary development of growth and aging. It occurs naturally without any conscious effort of the individual. Maturation provides the potential or the basic ability to do something that then allows learning to occur.

An example of maturation from the animal world is birds acquiring the ability to fly, and fish acquiring the ability to swim. Human beings are more complex. A child’s learning to walk may be attributed to maturation because the child learns to walk when reaching a particular stage in development. Not every child begins to walk at the same age. Examining some examples of physical skills the young child acquires shows how maturation and learning work together.

A child learns to colour pictures keeping inside the lines. Maturation is helpful to assist developing eye-hand coordination to handle the task. Learning is helpful because the child watches others colour and copies their behaviour.

The child acquires the ability to ride a bicycle. Maturation provides strength, balance, and coordination for the task. Learning is helpful because the child has watched others ride a bike and may try a few practice sessions to polish skills for bicycle-riding.