assimilation and accommodation
assimilation and accommodation
(in PIEGET's theory of CHILD DEVELOPMENT) the means by which changes in conceptual schemata come about.Fundamental to Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development is the idea that each stage has a typical mode of thinking, called a conceptual schema. For development to take place these schemata change, the next type of schema emerging out of the current schema. This change takes place either by new experiences being assimilated by the current schema, which becomes fuller and more elaborated as a result, or by accommodation, which is necessary if the current schema cannot fully deal with new experiences and needs to make a fundamental change in order to do so.