Schema Accommodation Assimilation & Equilibration
Psychology: AQA A Level, topic 11.1.3
Schema, Accommodation, Assimilation and Equilibration
Piaget developed the concept of schema which are mental representations of the world around us. We take in new information and either accommodate or assimilate this information into our schema.
Schema
- Schema is a mental representation of the objects, concepts or activities around us.
- For example, a schema of a cat would be: it has fur, whiskers, four legs, a tail, is small and meows.
- Another schema would be that of a classroom: we would expect a whiteboard, desks, chairs, teachers, students, bulletin boards.
Assimilation
- Assimilation is when new incoming information matches with our existing schema; we can assimilate it into our schema.
- For example, if a child encounters small furry animals that look like a cat, they are assimilated into their schema of a cat.
Accommodation
- Accommodation is the process when the new incoming information does not match with our existing schema.
- So the schema must accommodate the new information.
- For example, if a child sees a small furry raccoon and calls it a cat, their parent would correct them.
- Their schema of a small, furry animal being a cat would be accommodated to resolve the conflict.
Equilibration
- Equilibration is the process of assimilation and accommodation taken together.
- Piaget believed that children learn through the balancing of these two processes.
- New information can either be assimilated if it fits or accommodated if it does not.
Test yourself on Schema Accommodation Assimilation & Equilibration
What two processes make up equilibration?
What does 'schema' mean?