reversal learning
in discriminations involving two alternatives, the effect of reversing the contingencies associated with the two alternatives. For example, a monkey could be trained under conditions in which lever presses when a red light is on result in food presentation and lever presses when a green light is on are without effect. The contingencies are then reversed, so that presses when the red light is on are ineffective and presses when the green light is on result in food presentation. If the monkey’s behavior adapts to the new contingencies (i.e., it presses the lever only when the green light is on), reversal learning has occurred.