Key Takeaways
- Accommodation involves changing existing ideas to take in new information.
- Children learn to create new schemas when they notice differences, like between dogs and cats.
- Accommodation helps correct false beliefs when new and different experiences arise.
There are many different processes by which information can be learned. Accommodation is one that allows us to change our existing ideas to take in new information. Keep reading to learn more about this process, with help from some accommodation examples in psychology.
What is Accommodation?
Accommodation was initially proposed by psychologist Jean Piaget. According to Piaget, accommodation refers to part of the adaptation process and involves altering one’s existing schemas or ideas as a result of new information or new experiences. New schemas may also be developed during this process.
Consider, for example, how small children learn about different types of animals. A young child may have an existing schema for dogs. They know that dogs have four legs, so they might automatically believe that all animals with four legs are dogs.
When the child later learns that cats also have four legs, they undergo a process of accommodation. During this process, their existing schema for dogs will change and they will also develop a new schema for cats.
How Accommodation Takes Place
Accommodation doesn’t just take place in children; adults experience this as well. When experiences introduce new information or information that conflicts with existing schemas, we must accommodate this new learning to ensure that what’s inside our head conforms to what’s outside in the real world.
For example, imagine a child raised in a home that presents a stereotyped schema about another social group. Because of their upbringing, the child might harbor prejudices toward people in this group.
When the child gets older and moves away to college, they suddenly find themselves surrounded by people from this group. Through experience and interactions with members of this group, they realize that their existing knowledge is completely wrong. This leads to a dramatic change or accommodation in their beliefs about members of this social group.
Accommodation vs. Assimilation
Piaget believed in the importance of balance between the accommodation and assimilation processes. This creates a state of equilibration, in which an object is represented more truthfully. So, what determines whether a new piece of information is accommodated or assimilated?
The goal of assimilation is to maintain the status quo. By assimilating information, you are keeping your existing knowledge and schemas intact and simply finding a place to store this new information. It’s like buying a new book and finding a place to keep it on your bookshelves.
Accommodation, on the other hand, involves actually changing your existing knowledge of a topic. This is like buying a new book, realizing it doesn’t fit in any of your existing bookshelves, and buying a whole new shelving unit to store all of your books in.
In any given situation, either accommodation or assimilation may “win out.” Which one does often depends upon what has been learned.
Imitation is an important part of the learning process, but developing a stable sense of self is also essential. Reaching a state of equilibrium between the assimilation and accommodation processes is what helps create a sense of stability between an individual and their environment.
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