Final answer:
When assimilating new information, one is incorporating it into their current understanding or schema. The correct answer is A. Assimilation allows individuals to integrate new experiences within their existing cognitive frameworks.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you try to understand new information using an existing schema, you are assimilating that information into your current way of thinking. The correct answer is A: Assimilating; accommodate; adapting. Assimilation is the process by which we integrate new experiences and information into our existing frameworks or schemata. This term, particularly used in developmental psychology, was extensively described by Jean Piaget, who noted that as children and even adults learn new information, they tend to fit it into what they already understand. When the existing schema cannot incorporate the new information, accommodation occurs, which involves altering or expanding one's schemata to make sense of the new experiences. Together, these processes promote cognitive development and understanding of the world.