If your friend's mobile number changes and you often continue to dial the…

Concept

Transfer of learning is the influence that prior learning has on performance in a new or changed situation.

The transfer is positive when the earlier habit helps, negative when it interferes, and zero when it has no meaningful effect. Bilateral transfer concerns learning that passes from one side of the body to the other.

Application

Dialling the former number is an old learned response that intrudes after the required number has changed. The earlier habit therefore interferes with performing the new response.

Contrast

• Positive transfer would mean that an earlier skill makes the changed task easier.

• Negative transfer occurs when an earlier habit obstructs or competes with the response now required.

• Zero transfer would mean that the old learning neither helps nor hinders the changed task.

• Bilateral transfer refers to improvement on one side of the body after practice with the other side.

Cross-check

If the old number had no influence, there would be zero transfer; if it helped the new response, there would be positive transfer. Here it causes the competing old response, so the example is negative transfer of learning.