An experimental paradigm that involves reversal of a previously learnt association. In a typical example, subjects are repeatedly presented with a pair of objects, one of which is associated with a reward (the sample) and one of which is not (the foil). After learning the association between the sample and reward, the association is unexpectedly reversed such that the sample now becomes the foil and vice versa. Dealing successfully with this reversal involves both learning a new association and inhibiting a previously learnt, but now outdated, association. Standardized testing object reversal in children, using a different set stimulus materials, is the purpose of the Jordan Left-Reversal Test first published in 1974. The test, involving five sub-tests, assesses symbol (letter and number) reversals for children aged from 6 to 10 years. It appears that children with learning disabilities and below-average readers commit more errors on the test, suggesting problems with reading skills. Piagetian-based tests of conservation might also be considered to constitute an evaluation of the ability to understand reversibility (viz., the ability to see and understand the reversal of a physical transformation). There is a long-standing assumption that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the amygdala (AMG) make joint contributions to alterations in stimulus-reward associations. Recent research with monkeys suggests quite the opposite: the two brain structures make distinct contributions. Monkeys with OFC lesions were unable to optimally guide choices when faced with object reversals. Those with AMG lesions showed the opposite pattern of behavior in that they derived benefits from correctly performed trials following an error.
See Amygdala, Inhibitory control, Learning, Orbitofrontal cortex, Response inhibition tasks