Which process describes adjusting a schema to fit new information, such as recognizing a rabbit is not a dog?

• A. Assimilation
• B. Equilibration
• C. Accommodation
• D. Scaffolding

Answer: (C)

Adjusting a schema to fit new information is accommodation. This happens when something doesn’t match what you already think, so you modify your mental categories to reflect the new details. In the example, you have a schema for what a dog is. When you encounter a rabbit and realize it isn’t a dog, you refine or separate your dog category and other animals, recognizing the distinct features that differentiate rabbits from dogs. That modification keeps your understanding accurate as you encounter more animals.

Assimilation, by contrast, would be trying to fit the rabbit into the existing dog schema without changing that schema, which would ignore the differences. Equilibration refers to the overall process of balancing assimilation and accommodation to reach stable understanding over time. Scaffolding involves external support to help a learner progress to higher understanding, not the internal adjustment of schemas itself.