Which term describes the process of altering existing schemas in response to new information?

• A. Assimilation
• B. Accommodation
• C. Socialization
• D. World Systems Theory

Answer: (B)

The concept here is adjusting your thinking when new information doesn’t fit what you already know. This is accommodation. In Piaget’s terms, assimilation is using an existing schema to interpret new experiences, so you’d fit the new information into your current idea without changing it. Accommodation, however, involves modifying the schema itself or creating a new one to correctly classify the new information—for example, recognizing that cats and dogs are both four-legged animals but belong to distinct categories. Socialization refers to learning societal norms and roles, while World Systems Theory is a macro-level framework about global economic and political relationships, not how our thinking changes in response to new data.