Concept 1 · free preview
Piaget: schema, assimilation and accommodation
Understand
For Jean Piaget (Switzerland) the child is a 'little scientist' who builds knowledge from experience. A mental framework in the mind is a schema. Fitting new experience into the mind is adaptation, which has two parts.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Schema | Mental framework for an object or action | 'Dog' = four legs, tail, barks |
| Assimilation | Fitting new experience into an existing schema | Calling a cow, seen for the first time, a 'big dog' |
| Accommodation | Changing a schema or creating a new one | Forming a new category 'cow' — large, gives milk |
| Equilibration | Keeping a balance between the two | Confusion (disequilibrium) settles into a new stable understanding |
Remember
Assimilation = 'put it in the old box'; accommodation = 'change the box'.
Example
A child calls every round thing a 'ball' — even an orange (assimilation). Mother says 'This is an orange, we eat it' — the child forms a new category (accommodation).
Common mistake
Swapping the two. A new name/category formed = accommodation; the old name applied = assimilation.
Check yourself
A child calls an aeroplane a 'big bird'. Which Piagetian term?
Answer: Assimilation.