The following are examples of Piaget's concept of equilibration. Analyze two of the following scenarios, identifying in each one:
a) the source of disequilibrium,
b) a change in skill or understanding (the accommodation taking place),
c) the resulting new skill, concept, or level of understanding.
Baby scenario: Baby Warren can get applesauce to his mouth with his hand pretty efficiently. But now he tries to eat with a spoon. He scoops up the applesauce successfully, but what goes to his mouth is the spoon handle; the applesauce goes onto his forehead. Later, after weeks of practice, he can eat successfully with the spoon.
Preschool scenario: Emily sees some groups of numbers on a gravestone (1899–1950). She assimilates them (attempts to understand them based on what she already knows about numbers grouped that way). Then she looks perplexed and says, "But you can't really call them up, can you, if they're dead?" Her mom helps her out by explaining how dates are written.
College scenario: As Ravi begins reading his textbook, he "knows" that in cognitive development we form our first operations in the "formal operations" stage. But now he reads that children first develop operations in the Concrete Operations stage. After some thought and rereading, he learns the correct sequence.