accommodation
Quick Summary
In psychology, accommodation refers to the process of modifying existing mental frameworks (schemata) to incorporate new information that doesn't fit prior understanding. This is a key concept in Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. When individuals encounter new experiences or information that contradicts their current understanding, they experience a state of disequilibrium. To resolve this, they can either assimilate the new information (forcing it to fit existing schemata, which may lead to errors) or accommodate (changing their schemata to better fit the new information). Accommodation is crucial for genuine cognitive change and development, allowing individuals to adapt to their environment and achieve a new state of cognitive equilibrium.1
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