Schemas contain our understanding of an object, person or idea
A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing, developed from experience
Schemas become increasingly complex during development as we acquire more information about each object or idea
Assimilation
A form of learning that take place when we have encountered new information or a more advanced understanding of an object, person or idea
When new information does not radically change our understanding of the topic, we can incorporate it into existing schema
Accommodation
A form of learning that takes place when we acquire new information that changes our understanding of a topic to the extent that we need to form one or more new schemas and/or radically change existing schemas in order to deal with new understandings
Equilibrium
New information is understood with existing schema
Disequilibrium
New information contradicts or is different from existing schema, which motivates learning
Equilibration
Takes place when we have encountered new information and built it into our understanding of a topic, either by assimilating it into an existing scheme or accommodating it by forming a new one
Everything is balanced and we have escaped the unpleasant experience of a lack of balance - disequilibrium
