Piaget called his theory "equilibrium."
Piaget begins with a biological concept in his theory in which he studied genetic epistemology. This is the study of the "development of knowledge." He noticed certain skills in infants that were gained more from knowledge and then built upon with exploration. These he called schemas. As he went on with his research he coined the concept of assimilation in which an infant will assimilate to their environment.
- Piaget on Equilibrium
Piaget begins with a biological concept in his theory in which he studied genetic epistemology. This is the study of the "development of knowledge." He noticed certain skills in infants that were gained more from knowledge and then built upon with exploration. These he called schemas. As he went on with his research he coined the concept of assimilation in which an infant will assimilate to their environment.
The infant would also try new things and thus accommodate to the surroundings with new learned behaviors such as adding a squeeze to the drooling. So, with assimilation and accommodation came the two sides of adaptation. An infant would adapt to the surroundings through assimilating and accommodating to that environment.
This is what led to equilibrium in that one needs a balance between the structure of the mind and the environment that mind is in. There is always a balance between assimilation and accommodation. Piaget would investigate children for many of his theories to see how his theory would hold up, and also determine when assimilation or accommodation would dominate a given situation.
Piaget, though a biologist at first was a founder in the theories of psychology. Many students of psychology today learn about Piaget and his theories regarding child development and how the environment plays a role.
- Cognitive Development
Piaget is mostly known for his theory or stages of cognitive development. He is the person that gave us the model for how humans will go from infancy to adulthood, and what changes will be seen. He also gave us the "cutoff ages" for when a child reaches a new stage of development.
