Problem 5 - Transfer Of Knowledge Flashcards
Transfer
- something learned in one situation, affects how a person performs in another
- 2 processes: learning something + the later use/application of what has been learned.
- it takes places across different dimensions
- difficult to define, situated learning partly true
Positive transfer
Learning in one situation makes it easier to learn/perform in another
- reading widely helps with comprehension.
Negative transfer
Learning in one situation hinders a person’s ability to learn/perform in another
- shift vs automatic cars
Vertical transfer
Acquiring new knowledge/skills by building on basic information/procedures
- learning additions before multiplications
Lateral transfer
Knowledge on one subject helps but is not essential for learning another.
- knowing Spanish and learning Italian
Near transfer
- Two situations that are similar in both their superficial characteristics and underlying relationships
- mock exam: a question, actual exam: same question
Far transfer
- Two situations that are similar in their underlying relationships but different in their superficial features.
- Math exercise involving calculating speed, but one with train and one with animals.
Specific transfer
- Learning task and transfer task overlap in some way
- speaking dutch and german
General transfer
- Learning task and transfer task are different in both content and structure
- knowledge about latin and physics
Low road transfer
Automatic transfer of practiced skills
High-road transfer (forward/backward reaching)
Conscious application of abstract knowledge in a new situation. You look at similarities and connections between two situations.
1. Forward reaching: one learns something and applies it at a later time.
2. Backward reaching: the material is used to look back at a previous situation in order to understand the new situation.
Abstraction mechanism
- builds on thorndike
- Transfer would occur when there are identical elements within different contexts.
Affordance mechanism
Transfer depends on action schemes that result from action possibilities of a situation
Environment helps transfer
Historical perspective of transfer
- mind is a muscle that needs to be strengthen
- general transfer
Early behaviorist perspective (Thorndike’s)
- 2 situations need identical elements.
- rejects general transfer + formal discipline
Late behaviorist perspective
- builds on thorndike
- equality of stimuli + responses
- similar responses to same stimulus = positive transfer
- different responses to same stimulus = negative transfer
- same responses + different stimulus = some positive transfer
Information processing perspective
- need to retrieve something learned in a useful time.
- current situation + stored knowledge need to be in the WM at the same time.
- Presence/absence of retrieval cues influences what information is retrieved in the WM.
Contextual perspective
- Assumes situated learning
- What is learned is situation specific
- transfer is unlikely to occur in different situations
- rejects general transfer
Current perspective
- lies between the two extremes
- general transfer is less common than specific
- you have to learn to learn
Factors facilitating transfer: meaningful learning
Connecting new + old information
Factors facilitating transfer: careful learning
Better understanding
Factors facilitating transfer: similarities
Similarities
Factors facilitating transfer: principles
General rules/principles vs specific/discrete facts
Factors facilitating transfer: examples
Examples + practice