transposition

learning

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July 23, 2026

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Transposition, in the context of learning, refers to a phenomenon where an organism learns a relationship between stimuli rather than just responding to absolute properties of those stimuli. For example, chickens trained to peck the darker of two gray squares, when later presented with the previously rewarded square and an even darker one, would choose the darkest. This suggests they learned the concept of "darker" (a relationship) and transposed this learning to the new situation.1

This concept has been debated, with some theories suggesting responses are based on absolute stimulus properties and others on relational ones. Current understanding acknowledges that both absolute and relational characteristics of stimuli can influence transposition behavior.1

Transposition can also mean changing the form, appearance, use, or position of something. This can involve altering instrumentation or key in music, or moving an object from one place to another.2

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animal learning
Discrimination of relational and abstract stimuli
The phenomenon of transposition, first studied in chicks by the Gestalt psychologist Wolfgang Köhler, suggests that animals may solve even simple discriminations in ways more complex than the experimenter had imagined. Köhler trained his chicks to perform simple discriminations—say, to choose a large white circle (five centimetres in…
Read More
The phenomenon of transposition, first studied in chicks by the Gestalt psychologist Wolfgang Köhler, suggests that animals may solve even simple discriminations in ways more complex than the experimenter had imagined. Köhler trained his chicks to perform simple discriminations—say, to choose a large white circle (five centimetres in…
Read More

transfer of training
Transposition
Another phenomenon that has received considerable attention in theories of transfer of training is called transposition. An initial report of transposition came from a study in which chickens were trained by rewards to respond to the darker of two gray squares. After this discrimination…
Read More
Another phenomenon that has received considerable attention in theories of transfer of training is called transposition. An initial report of transposition came from a study in which chickens were trained by rewards to respond to the darker of two gray squares. After this discrimination…
Read More