The case study utilizes the classical view of concepts which argues that all concepts are defined the same way using a set of appropriate and sufficient features. An example of this is a square, a child may learn to identify new squares through its overall appearance. Whenever the child encounters a new concept, he/she makes an inference to the previously adopted concept. In the case study the kids make an inference to the objects they already know to develop a concept about what they just found. Yau the 4-year-old student knows that a bug is a living thing since it had the same characteristics as the other living things that needed food, developed physically and rest.
On the other hand the children are aware that the rock did not share the same properties as living things. The fact that the children needed certain details to fill in the gaps of the knowledge they already possess ascertains the Plaget theory of cognitive development. Plaget’s theory asserts that through the process of assimilation humans perceive and adapt to new information. Assimilation involves fitting in new information into pre-existing cognitive schemes. Assimilation occurs when children encounter unfamiliar things and prefer to previously learned information to make sense of it. When Ms. Serrano’s student encounters a bug she refers to the previously learned information about living things.
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Additionally Plaget’s theory asserts the process of accommodation where humans can take in new information from the environment and changing the pre-existing schemes to fit in the new information. Ms. Serrano utilized the opportunity to teach the children about biology. Although the children knew that a stone was living and the stone was non-living she also realized that they harbored some misconceptions she could correct. A teacher could utilize a child’s misconceptions about concepts to fit in new information.
