What is the process by which a child creates a new schema or significantly alters an existing schema based on new information?

What is the process by which a child creates a new schema or significantly alters an existing schema based on new information?

• A. Accommodation
• B. Assimilation
• C. Equilibration
• D. Disequilibrium

Answer: (A)

Accommodation is the process by which a child adjusts their mental schemas in response to new information that doesn’t fit what they already know. When something new comes along that cannot be explained by current understanding, the child changes an existing schema or creates a new one to incorporate it. For example, if a child has a schema that “dogs are four-legged pets that bark” and then encounters a cat, which doesn’t fit that dog-specific picture, they might refine the pet category to separate dogs from cats or form a new cat schema with its own attributes. This shows thinking changing in response to new data, not simply fitting the new information into an old idea. If the child tried to shove the cat into the dog category, that would be assimilation, not accommodation. Disequilibrium—when new information disrupts current understanding—often prompts accommodation to restore balance.

Accommodation is the process by which a child adjusts their mental schemas in response to new information that doesn’t fit what they already know. When something new comes along that cannot be explained by current understanding, the child changes an existing schema or creates a new one to incorporate it. For example, if a child has a schema that “dogs are four-legged pets that bark” and then encounters a cat, which doesn’t fit that dog-specific picture, they might refine the pet category to separate dogs from cats or form a new cat schema with its own attributes. This shows thinking changing in response to new data, not simply fitting the new information into an old idea. If the child tried to shove the cat into the dog category, that would be assimilation, not accommodation. Disequilibrium—when new information disrupts current understanding—often prompts accommodation to restore balance.