Lymnaea stagnalis
Great Pond Snail

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Jean Piaget
Swiss Psychologist

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Dextral vs. Sinistral

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Nature or Nurture?

The Experiment

• Collect Baby Snails from Two Ponds
• Place Both in Water from One Pond
• Observe Shell Development

Hypothesis: Snail shell direction changes based on environment

Source: Arthur, W. Control of shell shape in Lymnaea stagnalis. Heredity 49, 153–161 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1982.81

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Wait, What?

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How did they KNOW to grow the shells that way?

Piaget's Insight

• The snails adapted to the water
• They assimilated new information
• They accommodated that in their behavior
• They reached equilibrium with their environment

They Learned Something!

Piaget's Model of Learning

Image Source: SimplePsychology

Image Source: Giphy