schemas and adaptation theory - theories from piaget
TRANSCRIPT
Schemas and Adaptation Theory - Theories from Piaget
Schemas
Basic mental structure into which the information one receives from the environment is organized - Bukatko & Daehler, 2001
Earlier schemas set the stage for constructing new and more sophisticated schemas - Bukatko & Daehler, 2001
Never stop changing and are constantly refined through a process of adaptation
Adaptation
Involves constructing schemas through direct interaction with the environment
Consists of two complementary activities that involve moving from a cognitive state of disequilibrium to a cognitive state of equilibrium:– Assimilation– Accommodation
Results in equilibration
Bukatko & Daehler, 2001
Assimilation
The individual cognitively adapts to and organizes information by using current, pre-existing schemas (representing current ways of understanding) to interpret experiences and the external world
Ongoing process
Disequilibrium
Contradiction and conflict to a pre-existing schema that promotes cognitive change; imbalance between what is understood and what is encountered
Opportunities to grow and develop are present Implementation of assimilation and accommodation
to create a cognitive balance (equilibrium) between thinking and reality
Accommodation
Changes in behavior and thinking take place when new information no longer fits into old ways of understanding (the old schemas)
Existing schemas change to accommodate new information or new schemas are created that contain the new information
Intellectual capacities become re-shaped and reorganized as the child attempts to adjust
Thinking becomes more sophisticated
Bukatko & Daehler, 2001
Equilibrium
Cognitive balance that is restored through the process of assimilation and accommodation
Equilibration
Process by which assimilation and accommodation bring about more organized and powerful schemas for thinking
More adaptive and sophisticated ways of thinking develop as the child tries to make sense of his world through a continual process of assimilation and accommodation
Bukatko & Daehler, 2001