Drew has a pet dog. his sister, amelia, has a pet cat. so, drew's scheme of "things that are pets" includes both dogs and cats.
however, he visits a friend who has a pet parrot. this parrot does not fit into drew's existing scheme. so, he accommodates this information. now his "things that are pets" scheme includes birds as well. this restoring of cognitive balance is called
According to the psychologist, Jean Piaget, this <span>restoring of cognitive balance is called assimilation.
Assimilation involves the cognitive process of taking in or absorbing information, and combining or 'assimilating' it with our existing knowledge and ideas. In this instance, Drew has combined new information "birds are pets" to his existing ideas and knowledge about what pets are and the categories of animals "pets" can include. </span>
