Assimilation vs. Accommodation
Main DifferenceBoth these terms accommodation and assimilation carry on diverse meaning as they are used in various fields, although here we will be differentiating them on the basis of their meaning and usage in the field of psychology. These terms revolve around the cognitive development, which is the studying of child’s development in terms of conceptual resources, information processing, language learning and others. As per Piaget’s theory about the intellectual growth and adaptation, assimilation and accommodation are two complementary process of adaptation. Assimilation is a type of adaptation process in which new information fits or exists along with the previously existing idea or schema, whereas accommodation is the type of adaptation process in which new idea replaces the previously existing idea or schema. Accommodation takes place when the previously held schema or idea gets outdated or remain of no worth, whereas in assimilation the new idea settles with the previous knowledge.
Difference Between Assimilation and Accommodation
Assimilation vs. Accommodation
Assimilation is a type of adaptation process in which new information fits or exists along with the previously existing idea or schema, whereas accommodation is the type of adaptation process in which new idea replaces the previously existing idea or schema.
Assimilation vs. Accommodation
Accommodation takes place when the previously held schema or idea gets outdated or remain of no worth, whereas in assimilation the new idea settles with the previous knowledge.
Assimilation vs. Accommodation
Assimilation is the gradual process, whereas accommodation is the sudden change and it asks an individual to create a whole new image or idea about the particular thing.
Assimilationnoun
The act of assimilating or the state of being assimilated.
Accommodationnoun
Lodging in a dwelling or similar living quarters afforded to travellers in hotels or on cruise ships, or prisoners, etc.
Assimilationnoun
The metabolic conversion of nutrients into tissue.
Accommodationnoun
(physical) Adaptation or adjustment.
Assimilationnoun
(by extension) The absorption of new ideas into an existing cognitive structure.
Accommodationnoun
The act of fitting or adapting, or the state of being fitted or adapted; adaptation; adjustment.
Assimilationnoun
(phonology) A sound change process by which the phonetics of a speech segment becomes more like that of another segment in a word (or at a word boundary), so that a change of phoneme occurs.
Accommodationnoun
A convenience, a fitting, something satisfying a need.
Assimilationnoun
The adoption, by a minority group, of the customs and attitudes of the dominant culture.
Accommodationnoun
The adaptation or adjustment of an organism, organ, or part.
Assimilationnoun
the state of being assimilated; people of different backgrounds come to see themselves as part of a larger national family
Accommodationnoun
The adjustment of the eye to a change of the distance from an observed object.
Assimilationnoun
the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another
Accommodationnoun
(personal) Adaptation or adjustment.
Assimilationnoun
the process of absorbing nutrients into the body after digestion
Accommodationnoun
Willingness to accommodate; obligingness.
Assimilationnoun
a linguistic process by which a sound becomes similar to an adjacent sound
Accommodationnoun
Adjustment of differences; state of agreement; reconciliation; settlement; compromise.
Assimilationnoun
the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure
Accommodationnoun
(countable) The application of a writer's language, on the ground of analogy, to something not originally referred to or intended.
Assimilationnoun
in the theories of Jean Piaget: the application of a general schema to a particular instance
Accommodationnoun
A loan of money.
Accommodationnoun
An accommodation bill or note.
Accommodationnoun
An offer of substitute goods to fulfill a contract, which will bind the purchaser if accepted.
Accommodationnoun
(theology) An adaptation or method of interpretation which explains the special form in which the revelation is presented as unessential to its contents, or rather as often adopted by way of compromise with human ignorance or weakness.
Accommodationnoun
The place where sediments can make, or have made, a sedimentation.
Accommodationnoun
Modifications to make one's way of speaking similar to others involved in a conversation or discourse.
Accommodationnoun
making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances
Accommodationnoun
a settlement of differences;
they reached an accommodation with JapanAccommodationnoun
in the theories of Jean Piaget: the modification of internal representations in order to accommodate a changing knowledge of reality
Accommodationnoun
living quarters provided for public convenience;
overnight accommodations are availableAccommodationnoun
the act of providing something (lodging or seat or food) to meet a need
Accommodationnoun
(physiology) the automatic adjustment in focal length of the lens of the eye
Comparison Chart
| Assimilation | Accommodation |
| Assimilation is a type of adaptation process in which new information fits or exists along with the previously existing idea or schema. | Accommodation is the type of adaptation process in which new idea replaces the previously existing idea or schema. |
| Schema | |
| In assimilation the new idea settles with the previously held knowledge or schema. | Accommodation takes place when the previously held schema or idea gets outdated or remain of no worth. |
| Time | |
| Assimilation is a gradual process. | Accommodation is a process of sudden change. |
What is Assimilation?
The terms assimilation is used in various field like sociology, psychology and neuroscience. In the fields of psychology and neuroscience it is seen as the complementary process of adaption according to the Piaget’s theory about the intellectual growth and adaptation in children. It is the type of adaptation process in which new information fits or exists along with the previously existing idea or schema. It would be known here that previously held idea is not dumped or isn’t outdated in this and remains the basis of knowledge with even adding the new information. In change in cultural prescriptive this term is used for deviation is culture of minority with respect to the majority. In assimilation minority loses the original features of their culture and adapts the new culture, even to that extent that it gets indistinguishable from the majority living in the society. Assimilation is the gradual process and the new idea fitting along with the previous gets a thumbs up after we think it of similar pattern or related to the already held knowledge. It might create a little confusion in the children when the new idea collides with the settled ideas but on the basis of it, they get a better compact understanding about anything or someone.
What is Accommodation?
In our daily lives we use this word as shelter or house, although when use it in psychology as one of the complementary process of adaptation in which the already held idea or schema is replaced by the total new and different idea. This happens when one child learning at initial changes gets to know the things that are exactly opposite to his ideas and thoughts about the certain thing. While thinking them outdated, child perceives or adopt this new idea and dismisses the previous one. The process of accommodation is the sudden change and it asks an individual to create a whole new image or idea about the particular thing. For instance, if a children has a dog as a pet, he/she might have schema that the four leg animal is called the dog, although when he sees horse, donkey and other animals, he dismisses the previous idea and set another schema to differentiate the dog from other 4-leg animals.
