Cognitive flexibility in humans and other laboratory animals

ABSTRACT

Cognitive flexibility refers to the mental processes that allow us to adapt our behaviour as environmental circumstances change. In this paper, we describe various procedures that are commonly used to measure cognitive flexibility in humans. We then provide evidence of a relationship between cognitive inflexibility and various psychiatric disorders. In laboratory animals, behavioural flexibility is often measured using procedures that are analogous to those used in humans to measure cognitive flexibility. These procedures are described and the merits and limitations of each are presented. Finally, a brief description of how these various procedures can be used to understand the neurobiology of cognitive flexibility is provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Cognitive flexibility
• behavioural flexibility
• reversal learning
• set shifting
• strategy shifting

Acknowledgements

Quenten Highgate is the recipient of the Victoria University of Wellington Doctoral Scholarship

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Reactive flexibility refers to the form of cognitively flexibility that governs our capacity to shift thoughts and actions in response to situational changes. Throughout this chapter, cognitive flexibility will refer to reactive flexibility. This should not be confused with other forms of cognitive flexibility like spontaneous flexibility (Eslinger and Grattan 1993) or creativity (Diamond 2013).

 

Additional information

Funding

Quenten Highgate is the recipient of the Victoria University of Wellington Doctoral Scholarship.