Which term refers to changing internal representations to accommodate new information?

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

Answer: (C)

When our thinking must change to fit new information, we’re engaging in accommodation. This is about updating or restructuring our mental categories and schemas so they reflect reality more accurately. For example, if a child believes all animals with fur are dogs and then learns about cats, they adjust their understanding to separate dogs from other four-legged pets. The key idea is altering internal representations to incorporate new evidence, not just forcing new information into an existing box. That’s what makes accommodation the best answer. By contrast, assimilation would be fitting new information into existing ideas without changing them (like calling a whale a fish because it swims), equilibration is the broader process of balancing assimilation and accommodation to reach understanding, and adaptation refers to the overall developmental process, which includes both assimilation and accommodation.