Question

Provide practical examples of the following between me and my cousin
1. Schema
2. Assimilation
3. Accommodation

Answer 1

Brief definitions first:
- Schema: a mental framework or expectation you use to understand situations (e.g., “what a sleepover looks like”).
- Assimilation: applying an existing schema to interpret new information (fitting new things into what you already know).
- Accommodation: changing your schema when new information doesn’t fit (adjusting your ideas).

Practical examples involving you and your cousin

1) Schema
- Sleepover schema: Whenever you and your cousin have a sleepover you both expect movies, pizza, staying up late, and sleeping on the floor. That expectation guides what you pack, what you plan to do, and how you behave.
- Hide-and-seek schema: You both know the rules: one hides, one counts, then searches. That mental model lets you quickly start playing without re-explaining.

2) Assimilation (you use an existing schema to interpret something new)
- New pet example: Your cousin meets your neighbour’s Corgi and calls it “a dog” because they already have a schema for “dog” (four legs, furry, barks). They add the Corgi to their existing “dog” category without changing the category.
- Prior schema: “dogs = pets that bark and wag tails”
- New experience: meet a Corgi
- Result: cousin labels it “dog” and treats it like other dogs (assimilation).
- Game rule transfer: You teach your cousin a new card game. They immediately try to use a matching rule from a different card game they already know because it fits their existing game schema. They’re assimilating the new game into the rule-set they already understand.

3) Accommodation (you change your schema because the new info doesn’t fit)
- Service dog example: Your cousin tries to pet a service dog because of their old “all dogs can be petted” schema. You explain that service dogs are working and shouldn’t be disturbed. Your cousin updates their idea: “some dogs are working and must not be petted.” That’s accommodation.
- Prior schema: “all dogs are for petting”
- New experience/info: “this dog is wearing a service vest and must not be touched”
- Result: cousin changes the schema to “some dogs are off-limits” (accommodation).
- Different video game design: You and your cousin play many platformers that give extra lives. You introduce a new indie game that punishes death differently (no extra lives). At first your cousin keeps relying on extra-life strategy, but after repeated failures they change strategy and learn the game’s permanent-death rules. They’ve accommodated the new game type into a revised gaming schema.

If you want, tell me a real situation you and your cousin had and I’ll label whether it’s assimilation or accommodation and explain why.