A teacher taught in the classroom an example that the plural of 'House' is…

Concept: Transfer of learning is the influence that a previously learned skill, rule, or habit has on the learning or performance of a new task. Based on the direction of this influence, it is classified as: positive transfer (prior learning helps/facilitates new learning), negative transfer (prior learning hinders or interferes with new learning, producing errors), zero transfer (prior learning has no influence at all on the new task), and bilateral transfer (transfer of a skill from one side/limb of the body to the corresponding side/limb, e.g. right hand to left hand).

Application: Here the student had learned the regular English pluralization rule (add '-s') from the example House -> houses. When faced with the new word 'Mouse', the student generalised this same rule and produced 'Mouses' -- but 'Mouse' is an irregular noun whose correct plural is 'Mice'. The previously learned rule actively interfered with correct performance on the new item, producing an error.

Cross-check: Contrasting the four types against this scenario:

• Positive transfer would require the old rule to help produce a correct outcome -- here the outcome is wrong, so this is ruled out.

• Bilateral transfer concerns transfer of motor skill between the two sides of the body (e.g., a trained hand improving performance of the untrained hand) -- this scenario involves a cognitive/linguistic rule, not limb-to-limb motor skill, so this is ruled out.

• Zero transfer would mean the earlier learning had no bearing at all on the new response -- but the earlier rule clearly shaped (and distorted) the student's answer, so this is ruled out.

• Only interference of an earlier-learned rule causing an error on a new, differently-patterned item fits.

Hence the example illustrates the case where old learning hinders/disrupts correct performance on new learning.