Which process is shown when a child calls a rabbit a dog because it fits the four-legged animal schema?

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

Answer: (B)

Assimilation happens when a child uses an existing schema to interpret new information without changing that schema. In this case, the child has a four-legged animal schema and applies it to anything with four legs, labeling the rabbit as a dog because it fits the pattern. No modification to the four-legged animal concept occurs yet. If the child had learned that rabbits are a separate category and adjusted the schema accordingly, that would be accommodation. Equilibration is the broader process of balancing assimilation and accommodation over time, and scaffolding is guidance from others to help learn. So this situation demonstrates assimilation.