Sally has a dog at home, so she knows about dogs. She is walking down the street and sees an animal walking toward her. The animal has four legs, fur, and a tail. Sally knows that these are characteristics of dogs. But the animal coming toward her is meowing, not barking. Sally's mom tells her that the animal is a cat. Now when Sally sees an animal with four legs, a tail, and fur, she will conclude that it is a dog if it barks and a cat if it meows, illustrating _____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates accommodation, which is the process of adjusting one's mental framework or schema to incorporate new information or experiences that do not fit into existing schemas. In this case, Sally originally had a schema for dogs, but when she encountered a new animal (a cat) that did not fit her existing schema, she accommodated by creating a new schema for cats.

Sally Has a Dog at Home, So She Knows About