Illustration of Schema, Assimilation, & Accommodation

Summary

This script discusses cognitive development through the concepts of assimilation and accommodation. It illustrates how a child forms a 'schema' for dogs by observing features like ears, four legs, and a tail. The child experiences 'disequilibrium' when encountering a barking, furry dog that licks, prompting a schema update. The process repeats with a cat, leading to the creation of a new schema. The narrative effectively demonstrates how children actively construct knowledge and adapt their understanding through experiences.

Takeaways

• 🧠 A schema represents one's understanding of how something works or what something is.
• 👶 The child begins to develop a schema about dogs from a picture book and parental guidance.
• 🔄 Assimilation is the process where the child incorporates new information into their existing schema about dogs.
• 😖 Disequilibrium occurs when the child encounters information that doesn't fit their current schema.
• 🐶 The child expands their understanding of dogs by observing them in real life, which leads to disequilibrium and assimilation.
• 🐱 Accommodation is the process of creating a new schema when encountering something that doesn't fit the existing schema, such as a cat.
• 🤔 The child actively constructs meaning and seeks reinforcement from parents during states of disequilibrium.
• 👨‍👧 The parent plays a crucial role in affirming and reinforcing the child's new understanding of animals.
• 🔗 The characteristics of dogs (four legs, ears, tail) are initially part of the child's schema, which later includes barking, fur, and licking.
• 🐱 The child's encounter with a cat leads to the formation of a new schema that includes similar traits but different behaviors like meowing and climbing trees.
• 🔄 The process of cognitive development involves a cycle of assimilation and accommodation as the child interacts with the world.

Q & A

What is a schema in the context of cognitive development?

A schema represents one's understanding of how something works or what something is. It is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information.

How does a child first begin to form a schema about a dog?

A child begins forming a schema about a dog through experiences like seeing pictures in a book and hearing a parent describe the dog’s features, such as its ears, four legs, and tail.

What happens when a child encounters new information that doesn't fit into their existing schema?

The child experiences a state of disequilibrium, where the new information doesn't match their existing schema. This state leads the child to actively construct meaning to accommodate or assimilate the new information.

What is assimilation in the context of Piaget's cognitive development theory?

Assimilation is the process by which a child incorporates new information into their existing schema without changing the schema. For example, when a child sees a dog bark for the first time, they add this behavior to their understanding of what a dog is.

How does the concept of disequilibrium contribute to learning?

Disequilibrium occurs when new information doesn't fit an existing schema, prompting the child to resolve this imbalance by seeking clarification, which leads to learning. It drives the child to either assimilate the information or create a new schema.

What role do parents play in a child’s cognitive development according to the script?

Parents help reinforce the child’s learning by providing feedback and confirming or correcting the child's assumptions. This guidance helps the child resolve disequilibrium and solidify their schemas.

What is accommodation in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?

Accommodation is the process of modifying an existing schema or creating a new one when new information doesn’t fit the existing schema. For example, when a child encounters a cat for the first time, they create a new schema to differentiate it from a dog.

How does a child create a new schema for a cat?

The child recognizes similarities between a cat and a dog, such as having four legs and fur, but encounters differences like the cat’s meowing and ability to climb trees. The child then forms a new schema for a cat with these distinctive traits.

What is the main difference between assimilation and accommodation?

Assimilation involves integrating new information into an existing schema without changing it, while accommodation requires changing an existing schema or creating a new one to incorporate new information.

Why is disequilibrium considered important for cognitive growth?

Disequilibrium signals that new information does not fit into the child's current understanding, encouraging them to adjust their thinking, either through assimilation or accommodation. This process is essential for learning and cognitive development.

Outlines

00:00

🐕 Understanding Schema Theory

This paragraph introduces the cognitive development concepts of assimilation, accommodation, and schema. A schema is defined as an individual's understanding of how something works or what something is. The example of a child learning about dogs is used to illustrate these concepts. Initially, the child forms a basic understanding of dogs from a picture book. As the child encounters real dogs, they assimilate new information such as barking, fur, and licking, which causes disequilibrium. The child actively constructs meaning and updates their schema to include these new characteristics. When the child sees a cat, they experience disequilibrium again because the cat shares some traits with dogs but is a different animal. The parent helps the child to accommodate by forming a new schema for cats, which includes traits like climbing trees. The paragraph concludes by thanking the creators of the presentation.

Keywords

💡Schema

A schema is a cognitive framework or concept that represents an individual's understanding of how something works or what something is. In the video, it's used to describe the child's mental model of a 'dog', which is initially formed from a picture book and then refined through experiences. The child's schema about dogs includes characteristics like 'ears, four legs, and a tail', which are used to identify and understand new encounters with dogs.

💡Assimilation

Assimilation is the process of incorporating new information into an existing schema. The video illustrates this concept when the child encounters a dog that barks, is furry, and licks, which are new attributes not previously included in the child's schema of dogs. The child assimilates these new characteristics into the existing schema, updating it to include 'barks, furry, and licks' alongside the original traits.

💡Accommodation

Accommodation is the process of adjusting one's schema to accommodate new information that cannot be easily assimilated. In the script, this is demonstrated when the child encounters a cat, which shares some traits with a dog but also has distinct features like 'meowing' and 'climbing trees'. The child must create a new schema for 'cat' to differentiate it from 'dog'.

💡Disequilibrium

Disequilibrium refers to a state of cognitive conflict or confusion that arises when new information does not fit into an existing schema. The video describes several instances of disequilibrium, such as when the child is unsure if a barking, furry animal that licks is a dog, or when encountering a furry animal that meows and climbs trees, which challenges the child's existing schema.

💡Equilibrium

Equilibrium is a state of balance or cognitive stability where an individual's schema is consistent with their experiences. The video shows the child returning to equilibrium after assimilating new information about dogs (like barking and being furry) or after creating a new schema for cats to accommodate the differences from dogs.

💡Cognitive Development

Cognitive development refers to the growth of an individual's cognitive abilities, including thinking, knowing, remembering, judging, and solving problems. The video discusses the child's cognitive development in the context of schema formation and adjustment through the processes of assimilation and accommodation.

💡Department of Educational Psychology

The Department of Educational Psychology is mentioned as the source of the cognitive development stages discussed in the video. It implies an academic or research institution that studies how people learn and develop cognitively, and it provides the theoretical framework for understanding the child's learning process about dogs and cats.

💡Instructional Technology

Instructional technology is a field that focuses on the use of technology to support and enhance learning. Although not directly discussed in the script, it suggests the video might be part of educational materials or discussions that apply psychological theories to improve teaching methods.

💡University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is mentioned as the institution where the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology is located. It provides credibility to the theories and concepts discussed in the video, indicating that they are grounded in academic research.

💡Child

The child is the central figure in the video's narrative, representing the learner who is actively constructing and adjusting their understanding of the world through experiences with dogs and cats. The child's interactions and cognitive processes illustrate the concepts of schema, assimilation, and accommodation.

💡Parent

The parent plays a supportive role in the video, providing feedback and reinforcement to the child's attempts to understand and categorize new experiences. The parent's affirmation of 'dog' or 'cat' helps the child resolve disequilibrium and assimilate or accommodate new information into their schemas.

Highlights

A schema represents one's understanding of how something works or what something is.

Child begins to develop an understanding of what a dog is from a picture book.

Child experiences disequilibrium and actively constructs a schema about dogs.

Child assimilates information and returns to a state of equilibrium.

Child's thinking about dogs includes ears, four legs, and a tail.

Child expands understanding by observing a dog at a park.

Child experiences disequilibrium when the observed dog barks.

Child notes the dog is furry, leading to further disequilibrium.

Child is licked by the dog, causing another state of disequilibrium.

Child actively constructs meaning and builds an internal schema or adds information to the existing schema.

Parent affirms and reinforces the new information about dogs.

Child adds barks, furry, and licks to the characteristics of a dog.

Child sees a cat and a new schema must be formed to acknowledge it as a different animal.

Child goes through disequilibrium when observing the cat's traits.

Parent provides feedback and reinforces that the observed animal is a cat.

Child creates a new schema for cats with characteristics like four legs, ears, tail, fur, and climbing.

Accommodation occurs as the child forms a new schema about cats.

Child returns to a state of equilibrium with a formed schema about cats.

Illustration of schema, assimilation, and accommodation in cognitive development.

Transcripts

hello to share with you an illustration

of the concepts that P put forth of

assimilation accommodation and schema

I'm at the PHA stages of cognitive

development put forth by the department

of educational psychology and

instructional technology at the

University of

Georgia a schema represents one's

understanding of how something works or

what something is so here we have an

initial schema child begins to develop

an understanding of what a dog is from a

picture book and the parent reads and

this is what a dog looks

like then the schema is forming the

child experiences disequilibrium the

child is actively constructing a schema

about dogs child assimilates information

and returns to a state of equilibrium

the child's thinking dog ears four legs

tail the assimilation process continues

the child expands understanding what a

dog is by observing one at a park

the child checks yes the dog has ears

four legs and a tail this animal must be

a

dog then the animal barks the child

experiences disequilibrium the child's

scheme about dogs does not include

barking then in petting the animal the

child notes that it's furry the

assimilation process is continuing the

child experiences dis equilibrium the

child scheme about dogs does not include

fur

then the child's licked by the dog the

child again experiences disequilibrium

the child's schema about dogs does not

include

licking so as part of this assimilation

process the child is in a experience of

disequilibrium here's this animal that

barks is furry and licks is it actually

a dog or not it does have the ears the

four legs and a

tail so the child confers with the

parent and says dog

so while the child is in a state of

disequilibrium here she is actively

constructing meaning here she is

building an internal schema or adding

information to the existing schema the

child seeks reinforcement from the

parent the parent responds dog so the

parent affirms and reinforces the new

information assimilation is occurring

the disequilibrium resolves the scheme

is organized to incorporate that new

information so to the characteristics of

four legs ears and tail the child adds

barks furry and licks and so

assimilation has occurred and the child

has returned to a state of

equilibrium now we have

accommodation so now the child sees a

cat in the park a new schema must be

formed to acknowledge that this is a

different animal even though it has some

of the same traits as a dog so a child

sees this animal walking around goes

down the checklist four legs ears Tails

hasn't heard a tail that is hasn't heard

any barking appears to be furry hasn't

looked this animal goes meow now we're

in a state of

disequilibrium the animal is furry the

animal does lick but it

meows now this animal is climbing up a

tree so the child is in disequilibrium

and his is actively constructing meeting

here she asked a parent to assist this

disequilibrium

dog no replies the parent cat so a child

is in a state of disequilibrium the

parent provides feedback and reinforces

this is a

cat so now the child as process of

accommodation creates a new

schema so the child is in disequilibrium

here she is actively constructing

meaning this new schema says Cat four

legs ears tail Nows furry looks and

climbs accommodation has occurred the

child returns to state of equilibrium a

schema about cats has formed all right

so hopefully that was a good

illustration for you of schema

assimilation and accommodation and again

I want to thank uh the people who put

together this uh presentation that I was

able to share with you