Equilibration

Equilibration is a process in biology and psychology that involves the balance or harmony of various elements or forces. It is a key concept in Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development.

Overview

Equilibration is a process of achieving balance between assimilation and accommodation. When people assimilate, they incorporate new experiences into their existing cognitive structures. Accommodation, on the other hand, involves changing one's cognitive structure to include new experiences. Equilibration helps to explain how children are able to move from one stage of cognitive development to the next.

Role in Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, proposed that children go through four stages of cognitive development. He suggested that the process of equilibration is what drives the progression through these stages.

• In the sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years), children learn about the world through their senses and motor activities.
• The preoperational stage (2 to 7 years) is characterized by the development of language and symbolic thinking, but children in this stage are still egocentric and lack the ability to see things from other people's perspectives.
• During the concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years), children start to think logically about concrete events and understand the concept of conservation.
• Finally, in the formal operational stage (12 years and up), children develop the ability to think about abstract concepts, and they can use deductive reasoning and understand complex relationships.

Equilibration in Biology

In biology, equilibration refers to the process by which biological systems maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are optimal for survival. If this equilibrium is disrupted, the system will adjust to reach a new balance or equilibrium.

See Also

• Cognitive Development
• Jean Piaget
• Assimilation (psychology)
• Accommodation (psychology)

References

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