Skip to main content
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology pp 1–7Cite as

Behavioral Flexibility: Attentional Shifting, Rule Switching, and Response Reversal

Synonyms

Adaptability; Cognitive flexibility; Responsiveness

Definition

Behavioral flexibility refers to the adaptive change in the behavior of an animal, in response to changes in the external or internal environment. Ongoing behavior (which might include inactivity) is stopped or modified and new behavior is initiated. Adaptive changes in behavior can vary by degree, ranging from changes that are little more than reflexes or tropic reactions (i.e., reflecting a change in environmental conditions but without the involvement of cognitive processes) to behavioral changes that are anticipatory of environmental changes. Unlike impulsivity, which is responding without inhibitory control and can be maladaptive (see “Impulse Control Disorders”), behavioral flexibility reflects a change in cognitive state in response to the perceived environmental contingencies.

Given that there is a wide range of adaptive responses, it is important to be clear about terminology, particularly if the intention...

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Fig. 1

References

  • Arnsten AF, Li BM (2005) Neurobiology of executive functions: catecholamine influences on prefrontal cortical functions. Biol Psychiatry 57:1377–1384

    CAS  PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Berg EA (1948) A simple objective technique for measuring flexibility in thinking. J Gen Psychol 39:15–22

    CAS  PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson JJ (1941) A critical review of the concept of set in contemporary experimental psychology. Psychol Bull 38:781–817

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence DH (1949) The acquired distinctiveness of cues: I. Transfer between discriminations on the basis of familiarity with the stimulus. J Exp Psychol 39:770–784

    CAS  PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Luchins AS (1942) Mechanization in problem solving. The effect of “Einstellung”. Psychol Monogr 54:248

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins TW, Roberts AC (2007) Differential regulation of fronto-executive function by the monoamines and acetylcholine. Cereb Cortex 17:i151–i160

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK

    Verity J. Brown & David S. Tait

Authors
  1. Verity J. Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David S. Tait
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Verity J. Brown .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Behavioural Pharmacology, King's College London Institute of Psychiatry P049, London, United Kingdom

    Ian P. Stolerman

  2. Brown Medical School, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

    Lawrence H. Price

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this entry

Cite this entry

Brown, V.J., Tait, D.S. (2014). Behavioral Flexibility: Attentional Shifting, Rule Switching, and Response Reversal. In: Stolerman, I., Price, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_340-2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_340-2

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27772-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine & Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences