Symmetryย occurs when an individual demonstrates that two stimuli are reversible in a matching-to-sample task without direct training. If a person learns thatย stimulusย A is equivalent toย stimulusย B (A=B), they will also recognize thatย stimulusย B is equivalent toย stimulusย A (B=A) without needing additional instruction.
Example
A child is taught to match the word โcatโ (stimulusย A) to a picture of a cat (stimulusย B). Later, without being directly taught, the child can also match the picture of the cat (stimulusย B) to the word โcatโ (stimulusย A). This shows symmetry in their learning.