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, a tail, and is barking. Sally knows that these are characteristics of a dog given her knowledge of dogs. She quickly concludes that this animal is a dog. This example illustrated the Piagetian concept of _____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This example illustrates the Piagetian concept of assimilation, which is when new information is integrated into existing schemas (in this case, Sally's schema for dogs). Sally sees the animal's characteristics (four legs, fur, tail, barking) and relates them to what she knows about dogs, leading her to conclude that the animal in front of her is a dog.

Sally Has a Dog at Home So She Knows About