Which term refers to modifying existing mental schemes to fit new experiences?

Which term refers to modifying existing mental schemes to fit new experiences?

• A. Assimilation
• B. Group Interactions
• C. Self Image
• D. Accommodation

Answer: (D)

Accommodation refers to modifying existing mental schemas to fit new experiences. In Piaget’s view, schemas are the frameworks we use to understand the world. When something doesn’t quite fit what we already think, we adjust those frameworks rather than force the new information into them. For example, a child who believes all four-legged animals are dogs may learn that a cat is a different kind of animal and revise their dog schema to separate dogs from cats. This is accommodation, the process that keeps understanding aligned with reality. Assimilation would be using the old dog schema to label the cat, which doesn’t change the thinking structure.

Accommodation refers to modifying existing mental schemas to fit new experiences. In Piaget’s view, schemas are the frameworks we use to understand the world. When something doesn’t quite fit what we already think, we adjust those frameworks rather than force the new information into them. For example, a child who believes all four-legged animals are dogs may learn that a cat is a different kind of animal and revise their dog schema to separate dogs from cats. This is accommodation, the process that keeps understanding aligned with reality. Assimilation would be using the old dog schema to label the cat, which doesn’t change the thinking structure.