Final answer:
The statement is false; assimilation in a sociocultural context refers to adopting characteristics of the dominant culture, while in cognitive development, it refers to integrating new information into existing schemas without changing them.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "In the process of assimilation, the child changes old methods to adjust to a new situation" is false. Assimilation generally refers to the process by which a minority individual or group takes on the characteristics of the dominant culture, often gradually losing its original identity.
However, in developmental psychology, particularly in the theories of Jean Piaget, assimilation is the process by which a person integrates new information into pre-existing cognitive schemas without changing those schemas.
In contrast, accommodation is the process where the old methods (cognitive schemas) are changed or adjusted to accommodate the new situation or information. Therefore, when specifically talking about cognitive development in children, the concept being described is accommodation, not assimilation.