In Piaget's theory, what is the modification of internal representations to accommodate changing knowledge of reality called?

• A. Assimilation
• B. Accommodation
• C. Adaptation
• D. Equilibration

Answer: (B)

Accommodation is the process of changing our mental schemas when new information doesn’t fit what we already think. In Piaget’s theory, when we encounter something that cannot be simply fit into an existing idea, we modify that idea to reflect the new reality. For example, if a child believes all four‑legged animals are dogs and then meets a cat, they don’t simply try to fit the cat into the dog category; they adjust their thinking to create a separate category for cats. This updating of internal representations to align with new experiences is accommodation. (By comparison, assimilation would use the existing dog schema to label the cat, which doesn’t fit; equilibration is the drive to achieve balance between old and new ideas, and adaptation is the broader process including both assimilation and accommodation.)