reversal learning

Reversal learning is a psychological concept where an individual first learns to make a specific choice in a discrimination task, such as selecting a black object over a white one. Subsequently, they must learn to reverse this choice, now selecting the white object. This reversal is often difficult due to negative transfer effects, where the original learned response persists.1

However, with repeated practice, the tendency to make the original choice weakens, and the new choice becomes more frequent. Animals, particularly humans, can become very proficient at reversal learning with extensive training, sometimes mastering a reversal in a single trial. The speed at which different species learn reversals is thought to correlate with their evolutionary development, with adult humans typically learning them very rapidly. This process highlights how learning can be influenced by prior experiences and the cognitive abilities of the learner.12