As a biologist, Piaget was interested in how an organism adapts to its environment (Piaget described this ability as intelligence.) Behavior is controlled through mental organizations called schemes that the individual uses to represent the world and designate action.
This adaptation is driven by a biological drive to obtain balance between schemes and the environment (equilibration). Piaget hypothesized that infants are born with schemes operating at birth that he called "reflexes." In other animals, these reflexes control behavior throughout life. However, in human beings as the infant uses these reflexes to adapt to the environment, these reflexes are quickly replaced with constructed schemes.
Piaget described two processes used by the individual in its attempt to adapt:
• assimilation and
• accomodation.
Both of these processes are used thoughout life as the person increasingly adapts to the environment in a more complex manner.
Assimilation
The process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in preexisting cognitive structures. Example: an infant uses a sucking schema that was developed by sucking on a small bottle when attempting to suck on a larger bottle.
Accomodation
The process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment. Example: the infant modifies a sucking schema developed by sucking on a pacifier to one that would be successful for sucking on a bottle.
As schemes become increasingly more complex (i.e., responsible for more complex behaviors) they are termed structures. As one's structures become more complex, they are organized in a hierarchical manner (i.e., from general to specific).
This adaptation is driven by a biological drive to obtain balance between schemes and the environment (equilibration). Piaget hypothesized that infants are born with schemes operating at birth that he called "reflexes." In other animals, these reflexes control behavior throughout life. However, in human beings as the infant uses these reflexes to adapt to the environment, these reflexes are quickly replaced with constructed schemes.
Piaget described two processes used by the individual in its attempt to adapt:
• assimilation and
• accomodation.
Both of these processes are used thoughout life as the person increasingly adapts to the environment in a more complex manner.
Assimilation
The process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in preexisting cognitive structures. Example: an infant uses a sucking schema that was developed by sucking on a small bottle when attempting to suck on a larger bottle.
Accomodation
The process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment. Example: the infant modifies a sucking schema developed by sucking on a pacifier to one that would be successful for sucking on a bottle.
As schemes become increasingly more complex (i.e., responsible for more complex behaviors) they are termed structures. As one's structures become more complex, they are organized in a hierarchical manner (i.e., from general to specific).
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