Distinguish between assimilation and accommodation and give an example of each. Explain how they are related to Piaget's concepts of equilibrium and disequilibrium
What will be an ideal response?
A good answer will be similar to the following:
+ Assimilation occurs when new experiences are readily incorporated into existing schemes. For example, if a child has a scheme for "children I play with at school" and meets a new student, the child might begin to play with the new student at recess and put the new student into the pre-existing scheme of "children I play with at school."
+ Accommodation occurs when schemes are modified based on experience. To use the same example of a scheme "children I play with at school," the first time a child invites a school friend home to play, she might modify her scheme to "children I play with at school and at home."
+ Assimilation and accommodation are usually in balance, or equilibrium. However, when the balance is upset, a state of disequilibrium results. Children discover their current schemes, theories, aren't adequate because they are spending too much time accommodating and not enough time assimilating. When disequilibrium occurs, children reorganize their theories to return to a state of equilibrium through a process called equilibration.
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Indicate whether this statement is true or false.
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