Which of the following best exemplifies Piaget's concept of accommodation in cognitive development?

• A. A child who sees a new breed of dog and calls it 'dog' because it has four legs and fur.
• B. A child who previously called all four-legged animals 'dog' learns that a cow is a different animal and starts calling it 'cow' instead.
• C. A child ignores a new animal because it does not fit their existing schema.
• D. A child repeats the word 'dog' after hearing an adult say it.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand Piaget's concept of accommodation. Accommodation occurs when a person changes their existing cognitive schemas (mental frameworks) to incorporate new information that does not fit into their current understanding.
2. Step 2: Identify the difference between assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation involves integrating new information into existing schemas without changing them, while accommodation requires modifying schemas to fit new experiences.
3. Step 3: Analyze each option to see if it involves changing an existing schema or simply fitting new information into an existing schema.
4. Step 4: Recognize that calling all four-legged animals 'dog' is an example of assimilation because the child is applying an existing schema to new animals without changing it.
5. Step 5: Note that learning to call a cow 'cow' instead of 'dog' shows accommodation because the child modifies their schema to differentiate between different four-legged animals.