Final answer:
The correct answer is option a) Assimilation and accommodation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jean Piaget, a prominent developmental psychologist, posited that children adapt to their environment through the processes of assimilation and accommodation, which help them develop mental models or schemata. These schemata enable children to categorize and interpret information. When exposed to new information, children assimilate it within their existing schemata if it aligns with their current understanding.
On the other hand, accommodation occurs when new information challenges their existing schemata, prompting them to adjust or change their mental models. Piaget outlined stages of cognitive development, with assimilation and accommodation being central mechanisms behind children's cognitive growth.
Furthermore, Piaget outlined four main stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational, with each stage representing a distinct phase of intellectual growth. The formal operational stage, which begins around age 11, is marked by the emergence of abstract thinking and the ability to handle hypothetical situations.