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Adaptation is the ability to adjust to new information and experiences. Learning new information is essentially adapting to our constantly changing environment so we can function more effectively in the world.

Twentieth-century Swiss psychologist and genetic epistemologistJean Piaget’s theory of cognitive developmentoutlined four stages of intellectual growth.These stages include sensorimotor (0 to 2 years old),preoperational(2 to 7 years old), concrete operational (7 to 11 years old), andformal operational(11 years old and up)—however, the age each stage starts can vary. Cognitive skills that develop over time include thinking, reasoning, and understanding.

Piaget believed infants are born with a very basic mental structure that they can build on as they experience their environment. As they grow, they construct mental representations of the world known as schemata. Each individual schema is like a basic building block of intelligent thought and behavior – and a way of organizing knowledge.

According to Piaget’s theory, adaptation of schemata is one of the important processes guiding cognitive development from the moment you are born. The adaptation process itself can take place in two ways:assimilationandaccommodation.

Support and Criticism of Piaget’s Stage Theory

Piaget’s Schemas and Learning

The ongoing development and adaptation of schemas take place as people learn and understand new information, and schemas are rapidly developing in the early childhood years. Over time, schemas increase in number and complexity.

Schemas are influential in shaping how someone takes in new information and organizes it. Thus, schemas can play an important role in processing information, learning and understanding concepts, and applying what has been learned in future encounters.

An example of how a schema would work in real life would be a child seeing a dog and learning what it is. The next time a child sees a dog, they can use their existing schema to identify it.

Adaptation Through Assimilation

Inassimilation, people take in information from the outside world and are often able to fit it in with their existing ideas and concepts. New information can sometimes be readily assimilated into an existing schema.Learning feels easy when it happens this way.

Think of this as having a mental database. When information fits into an existing category in the database, it can be quickly and easily integrated into the place it belongs.

However, this process doesn’t always work perfectly, especially during early childhood. Here’s one classic example: Imagine a very small child is seeing a dog for the first time. If the child already knows what a cat is, they might assume the dog is a cat: It fits into their existing schema for cats, since both are small, furry, and have four legs. Correcting mistakes like these takes place through the next adaptation process,accommodation.

Adaptation Through Accommodation

This is much like trying to add information to a database only to find that there is not a pre-existing category for this new data to fit into. In order to incorporate this new data into the database, you will have to create a brand new category or change an existing one.

Not surprisingly, the accommodation process tends to be much more difficult than assimilation. People are often resistant to changing their schemas, particularly if it involves changing a deeply held belief.

Equilibrium

The process of assimilation and accommodation is continuous and dynamic, as we engage with a changing and evolving environment. However, in between the ongoing work of assimilation and accommodation, there are moments where our existing schemas match the circumstances, and we are able to understand everything in our environment. There is nothing new to learn in order to effectively process the information and behave accordingly. This is calledequilibrium,a state of mental balance.

Naturally, the next time we encounter an object or situation that is new or perplexes us, this creates a state ofdisequilibrium, and we are motivated to learn as quickly as possible so we can remove the unpleasant sensation that comes withnotunderstanding. This is when these adaptation processes kick in again.

Summary: Adaptation in Cognitive Development

The adaptation process is a critical part of cognitive development. According to Piaget’s theory, this process is what facilitates growth through each of the four developmental stages.

Schemas continue to change over time as people experience new things.Through the adaptive processes of assimilation and accommodation, children and adults are able to take in new information, form new ideas or change existing ones, and adopt new behaviors that make them better prepared to deal with the world around them.

Jean Piaget Biography (1896-1980)

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Inhelder B, Piaget J.The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence. Basic Books; 1958. doi:10.1037/10034-000Piaget J.Construction of reality in the child.Routledge & Kegan Paul; 1957. doi:10.4324/9781315009650APA Dictionary of Psychology.Adaptation.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Schemas.Kan IP, Rosenbaum RS, Verfaellie M.Schema processing across the lifespan: From theory to applications.Cognitive Neuropsychology. 2020;37(1-2):1-7. doi:10.1080/02643294.2020.1736019Di Paolo EA, Barandiaran XE, Beaton M, Buhrmann T.Learning to perceive in the sensorimotor approach: Piaget’s theory of equilibration interpreted dynamically.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00551Bjorklund DF.Developing adaptations.Dev Rev. 2015;38:13-35. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2015.07.002Grote-Garcia SA.Schemas. In: Goldstein S, Naglieri JA, eds.Encyclopedia of child behavior and development. Springer US; 2011:1287-1288. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2495Additional ReadingSantrock JW.A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development. 11th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2023.

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Inhelder B, Piaget J.The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence. Basic Books; 1958. doi:10.1037/10034-000Piaget J.Construction of reality in the child.Routledge & Kegan Paul; 1957. doi:10.4324/9781315009650APA Dictionary of Psychology.Adaptation.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Schemas.Kan IP, Rosenbaum RS, Verfaellie M.Schema processing across the lifespan: From theory to applications.Cognitive Neuropsychology. 2020;37(1-2):1-7. doi:10.1080/02643294.2020.1736019Di Paolo EA, Barandiaran XE, Beaton M, Buhrmann T.Learning to perceive in the sensorimotor approach: Piaget’s theory of equilibration interpreted dynamically.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00551Bjorklund DF.Developing adaptations.Dev Rev. 2015;38:13-35. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2015.07.002Grote-Garcia SA.Schemas. In: Goldstein S, Naglieri JA, eds.Encyclopedia of child behavior and development. Springer US; 2011:1287-1288. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2495Additional ReadingSantrock JW.A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development. 11th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2023.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Inhelder B, Piaget J.The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence. Basic Books; 1958. doi:10.1037/10034-000Piaget J.Construction of reality in the child.Routledge & Kegan Paul; 1957. doi:10.4324/9781315009650APA Dictionary of Psychology.Adaptation.APA Dictionary of Psychology.Schemas.Kan IP, Rosenbaum RS, Verfaellie M.Schema processing across the lifespan: From theory to applications.Cognitive Neuropsychology. 2020;37(1-2):1-7. doi:10.1080/02643294.2020.1736019Di Paolo EA, Barandiaran XE, Beaton M, Buhrmann T.Learning to perceive in the sensorimotor approach: Piaget’s theory of equilibration interpreted dynamically.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00551Bjorklund DF.Developing adaptations.Dev Rev. 2015;38:13-35. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2015.07.002Grote-Garcia SA.Schemas. In: Goldstein S, Naglieri JA, eds.Encyclopedia of child behavior and development. Springer US; 2011:1287-1288. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2495

Inhelder B, Piaget J.The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence. Basic Books; 1958. doi:10.1037/10034-000

Piaget J.Construction of reality in the child.Routledge & Kegan Paul; 1957. doi:10.4324/9781315009650

APA Dictionary of Psychology.Adaptation.

APA Dictionary of Psychology.Schemas.

Kan IP, Rosenbaum RS, Verfaellie M.Schema processing across the lifespan: From theory to applications.Cognitive Neuropsychology. 2020;37(1-2):1-7. doi:10.1080/02643294.2020.1736019

Di Paolo EA, Barandiaran XE, Beaton M, Buhrmann T.Learning to perceive in the sensorimotor approach: Piaget’s theory of equilibration interpreted dynamically.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00551

Bjorklund DF.Developing adaptations.Dev Rev. 2015;38:13-35. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2015.07.002

Grote-Garcia SA.Schemas. In: Goldstein S, Naglieri JA, eds.Encyclopedia of child behavior and development. Springer US; 2011:1287-1288. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2495

Santrock JW.A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development. 11th ed. McGraw-Hill; 2023.

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