Piaget defined intelligence as adaptive behavior. He maintained that two complementary processes, assimilation and accommodation, are involved in every interaction and that when these two processes are in equilibrium, behavior will be adaptive. Describe the processes of assimilation and accommodation, and give an example of each
What will be an ideal response?
Assimilation is a basic process that involves responding or interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemes--in other words, in terms of what the child already knows. For example, an infant may respond to a washcloth using two existing schemes, grasping and sucking. The infant grabs the washcloth (an act of assimilation to the grasping scheme), stuffs a corner of it in his mouth, and sucks on it (an act of assimilation to the sucking scheme). In each case, the infant has used an existing response and incorporated the washcloth into his existing notion of scheme of graspable, suckable objects. Accommodation is a process that involves modifying existing schemes in light of new experiences. Returning to the washcloth example, the infant used an existing scheme in the process of grasping the washcloth. However, because of the unique properties of the washcloth, the response itself had to be modified (accommodated) and the child's scheme of graspable objects modified (accommodated) to include washcloths. Every adaptive act involves the complementary processes of assimilation and accommodation. Since it is questionable whether sucking on washcloths is particularly adaptive--they are sometimes soapy, etc.--accommodation in this case may involve the exclusion of washcloths from the sucking scheme and creation of a new scheme of "things with which to wash the face and body" (but not floors, cars, etc. unless they have become relegated to the category of rags).
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Describe the three types of childhood temperaments, as described by Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess.
What will be an ideal response?
One problem with Kohlberg’s stage model of moral reasoning is that
a. replication studies have not found that people progress through stages 1-4 in order. b. the dilemmas are not comprehensible to most adolescents. c. most adults don’t reason at stage 3 or 4. d. people can select reasoning at different stage levels depending on the social context.
On complex reaction-time tasks, response time
A) decreases gradually from the early forties into the nineties. B) increases steadily from the early twenties into the nineties. C) remains the same throughout the lifespan. D) remains the same throughout early and middle adulthood and then gradually increases.
Under which of the following circumstances would children from collectivist cultures be more motivated to perform when engaging in a task?
a. When they are allowed to choose the task themselves. b. When they are allowed to spend time thinking about which task they would like to choose. c. When a trusted figure or peer chooses the task for them. d. Children from collectivist cultures are always motivated to perform while engaging in a task.