According to Jean Piaget's cognitive developmental theory, which term refers to a child applying an existing schema to a new object?

• A. Conservation
• B. Object permanence
• C. Accommodation
• D. Assimilation

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that Jean Piaget's cognitive developmental theory explains how children develop thinking and understanding through stages and processes.
2. Recognize that a 'schema' is a mental framework or concept that helps a child organize and interpret information.
3. Identify that when a child encounters a new object and tries to fit it into an existing schema without changing the schema, this process is called assimilation.
4. Differentiate assimilation from accommodation, where accommodation involves changing the schema to fit new information.
5. Recall that conservation and object permanence are different concepts in Piaget's theory related to understanding quantity and object existence, respectively, not the process of applying schemas.