Section 2.4 Cognitive development theories

Adaptation is an inborn tendency to adjust more attuned to environmental conditions. According to Piaget’s Cognitive theory, there are 3 components in adaptation namely Equilibration, Assimilation and Accommodation (Rabindran & Madanagopal, 2020).

•    Equilibration is the process of balancing assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding. It involves moving between states of cognitive balance (equilibrium) and imbalance (disequilibrium) as children encounter new experiences. Example: A child understands that a dog is a four legged animal (equilibrium). When they encounter a cat for the first time, they initially think it is a dog because it also has four legs (disequilibrium). After learning that cats are different from dogs, they adjust their understanding, achieving a new balance (equilibrium).

•    Assimilation is the process of integrating new information into existing cognitive schemas without changing the schema. It involves applying what is already known to new situations. Example: A child who knows that birds can fly sees an airplane for the first time and refers to it as a “big bird.” They are assimilating this new experience into their existing schema of what a bird is, even though they are not yet aware that airplanes are different.

•    Accommodation is the process of modifying existing cognitive schemas or creating new ones in response to new information that cannot fit into existing schemas. It involves changing one’s understanding to incorporate new experiences. Example: Continuing from the previous example, when the child learns that airplanes are not birds but machines that fly, they must accommodate their understanding. They create a new schema for “airplane” while adjusting their existing schema for “bird” to reflect that not all flying entities are birds (Rabindran & Madanagopal, 2020).