Which of the following are the two complementary processes of adaptation?

Assimilation and Accommodation are two basic components of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. According to Piaget’s theory, a child’s intellectual growth is a result of adaptation. Assimilation and accommodation are two complementary processes of adaptation. It is important to understand the key concept of schema in this theory, before moving on to the difference between assimilation and accommodation. A schema refers to both mental and physical actions in understanding and knowing. In Cognitive development theory, a schema includes both a category of knowledge and the process of obtaining that knowledge. The process by which new information is taken into the previously existing schema is known as assimilation. Alteration of existing schemas or ideas as a result of new knowledge is known as accommodation. Therefore the main difference between assimilation and accommodation is that in assimilation, the new idea fits in with the already existing ideas while, in accommodation, the new idea changes the already existing ideas.

What is Assimilation

Assimilation is an adaptation process by which new information is taken into the previously existing schema. This is how humans perceive and adapt to new ideas. Here, the learner fits the new idea into what he already knows. For example, a small child may have a schema about a type of animals. The child’s only experience with dogs is their pet dog, and he knows that dogs have four legs. One day this child sees another dog. He identifies the new animal as a dog based on his previous knowledge of his dog. Labeling it as a dog is an example of assimilating the animal into the child’s dog schema.

Assimilation occurs when someone makes use of the pre-existing knowledge to make sense of the new knowledge. Therefore, we can say that assimilation tends to be subjective.

What is Accommodation

Accommodation is the process by which pre-existing knowledge is altered in order to fit in the new information. A new schema might be created in this process. This happens when the existing knowledge is not accurate. For example, a child knows that a dog has four legs. When the child sees a horse for the first time, he calls it dog as it has four legs. He fits in the new animal with the existing knowledge; this is assimilation. But an adult points out that it is a horse, not a dog; then the child alters his knowledge that all four-legged animals are not dogs.

Cognitive development is how you know what you know whereas intelligence was what you know. Elders know a lot, as said before, and because of that they like to pass down what they know to the younger kids.

An example of cognitive development dealing with elders would be knowing how to bake a cake. An older person can remember the recipe to a homemade cake like it's nothing and able to tell someone how to make it without forgetting any details. How they know that would be cause they've been doing it for most of their life and it's like a frozen memory that will forever stand. 

Adaptation is a change or the process of change in which thinking and acting are used together to navigate and survive and become better suited in an external environment . There are two complementary processes in which to make adaptation complete and they are assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is to learn something new so that it is fully understood and can be used. Accommodation is when someone learns a new piece of information that requires them to have to change one of their preexisting schemas.

Elders these days have to adapt to this new environment that we have so that they can try to keep up with what's out these days they don't necessarily want to act like the people do these days but they are willing to be able to learn and be able to apply new things to their schema. An example of an older person assimilating is when their grand child is trying to teach them how to text. The grandchild texts an acronym to their grandparent saying "lol." Instead of the grandparent asking what it means, they come up with the assumption that it means "League of Legends" and that's how they continue to use 'lol.' When the grandchild finally sees their grandparent in person, they ask if the grandparent understands them when they text  one another. After, the grandparent says yes they say lol without actually laughing out loud they just say it because that's what they say to each other all of the time when they text. The grandchild then asks the grandparent what do you think lol means and the grandparent replies with "Leagues of Legends." The grandchild laughs and says no, I means "laugh out loud." at that point the grandparent has to make an accommodation of that new meaning.

Lev Vygotsky describes the Zones of Development which is called scaffolding. Scaffolding is when a teacher mother father or any individual more experience that can teach a child or anyone who is ignorant towards a certain topic. There are three parts to scaffolding. The first is Zone of Eventual Development which means that an individual cannot yet accomplish something even with the help of someone else. The second is Zone of Proximal Development which means that an individual can only accomplish something with the help of a more knowledgeable person. Last is the Zone of Actual Development which is when an individual can accomplish something on their on without the help of others.

When dealing with elders in the nursing homes or any other place, sometimes these steps can go backwards. Mr. Jones was able to do things on his own for a long time till he was admitted into the nursing home. After being admitted he slowly started to lose grip of doing things on his own and he now needs help from the staff to get things done the proper way. Soon Mr. Jones will not be able to do anything without the help of staff. This is an example of how scaffolding could go backwards as a person gets older in age.

What is one of the two processes involved in adaptation?

What are the two parts of adaptation?

What are the processes of adaptation?

Which activity is one of the two adaptation processes proposed by Piaget in his theory of cognitive development?