What cognitive function occurs during accommodation?

Accommodation refers to the process through which individuals adapt their existing cognitive frameworks or schemas to incorporate new information that does not fit within their current understanding. This cognitive function occurs particularly when an individual encounters information that challenges their existing beliefs or knowledge.

When new and unfamiliar experiences or data are encountered, accommodation enables the individual to create new schemas or modify existing ones to make sense of this new information. For instance, if a child recognizes that a zebra is not just a horse but an entirely different animal, they must create a new schema to accommodate this knowledge.

In contrast, reinforcement of existing schemas relates more closely to assimilation, where new information is integrated into pre-existing schemas without significant alterations. Integration of experiences into current understanding may also be associated with assimilation rather than accommodation, which focuses on making deep adjustments to cognitive structures. Disregarding new information does not reflect a healthy cognitive development process and contradicts the essence of accommodation where one actively engages with and adapts to new data.

Thus, the creation of new schemas is central to the process of accommodation, highlighting how cognitive development evolves through the active engagement with and assimilation of new experiences.