A two-year-old child's family has a pet rabbit. When the family visits the zoo, the child sees a hamster for the first time and calls it a rabbit because of the physical features that are common to a rabbit and a hamster. According to Piaget, which cognitive process will most likely modify the child's understanding?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Accommodation is the process by which existing mental schemata are modified or new ones are created to accommodate new experiences or new information. In this scenario, the child's existing mental schema for a rabbit is being modified to accommodate the new information about the physical features of a hamster.

A Two-Year-Old Child's Family Has a Pet Rabbit