Assimilation and Accommodation

Assimilation and accommodation are concepts from cognitive psychology, particularly in how we understand and adapt to new information. Assimilation occurs when we incorporate new experiences into our existing frameworks or knowledge without changing them; for example, recognizing a new dog as a type of pet. Accommodation happens when we modify our existing frameworks to fit new information; for instance, realizing that not all pets are dogs and adjusting our understanding accordingly. Together, these processes help us learn and adapt to the world around us.