EFFECTS OF ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR INFEROTEMPORAL LESIONS ON DISCRIMINATION REVERSAL IN THE MONKEY

Monkeys with either anterior or posterior lesions of area TE were tested on serial reversal of a visual pattern discrimination problem. Compared with unoperated control subjects, both lesion groups took longer to learn the original problem. Reversal learning was impaired primarily in the anterior group. Dissociation of function within area TE was inferred from opposite effects of the lesions on the period of stationarity, which characterizes the presolution portion of the backward learning curve. Results are interpreted in terms of two- process models of extrastriate visual function. © 1979.