If the mobile number of your friend changes, and you often continue to dial his former number, it is an example of __________

Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Understanding Transfer of Learning

Transfer of learning is a fundamental concept in psychology and education. It refers to how learning in one situation influences learning or performance in another situation. When you learn something new, that knowledge or skill can either help, hinder, or have no effect on your ability to learn or perform something else later on. There are different types of transfer of learning.

Types of Transfer of Learning

Transfer of learning can primarily be categorized into three main types:

Positive Transfer of Learning: This happens when learning in one situation helps or facilitates learning or performance in another situation. For example, learning to ride a bicycle can make it easier to learn to ride a motorcycle because some skills, like balancing, are transferable.
Negative Transfer of Learning: This occurs when learning in one situation hinders or interferes with learning or performance in another situation. The old learning conflicts with the new learning.
Zero Transfer of Learning: This happens when learning in one situation has no noticeable effect, neither positive nor negative, on learning or performance in another situation. For example, learning to knit might have zero transfer on learning to solve algebra problems.

Another type, mentioned in the options, is Bilateral Transfer of Learning, which refers to the transfer of skill from one side of the body to the other (e.g., learning to write with your right hand helps slightly when learning to write with your left hand).

Analyzing the Mobile Number Scenario

The question describes a scenario where your friend's mobile number changes, but you continue to dial his former number. You have learned the old number, and now you need to learn and use the new number. When you try to dial the new number, the old learned number comes to mind and you dial it instead, which is incorrect. This shows that the learning of the old mobile number is interfering with your ability to correctly dial or remember the new mobile number.

Why it's Negative Transfer of Learning

Based on the definition, this situation is a clear example of negative transfer of learning. The prior learning (dialing the old number) is making the new task (dialing the new number) more difficult or causing errors. The old response (dialing the former number) is competing with the new required response (dialing the new number).

It is not positive transfer because the old number is hindering, not helping, in dialing the new number.
It is not zero transfer because the old number is actively causing you to make mistakes (dialing the wrong number), showing a clear effect.
It is not bilateral transfer, as this concept relates to skills transferring between body parts, not remembering conflicting pieces of information.

Therefore, continuing to dial a former mobile number after it has changed is a typical instance of negative transfer of learning.

Type of Transfer	Effect	Example
Positive Transfer	Learning in one situation helps learning in another.	Learning basic arithmetic helps with algebra.
Negative Transfer	Learning in one situation hinders learning in another.	Dialing an old phone number after it changes.
Zero Transfer	Learning in one situation has no effect on another.	Learning swimming and learning history.

Revision Table: Transfer of Learning Concepts

Concept	Brief Description	Scenario in Question
Transfer of Learning	Influence of prior learning on new learning/performance.	Applies to how knowing the old number affects using the new number.
Positive Transfer	Prior learning helps new learning.	Not applicable; old number hinders.
Negative Transfer	Prior learning hinders new learning.	Directly applicable; old number causes errors with new number.
Zero Transfer	Prior learning has no effect.	Not applicable; old number has a clear hindering effect.

Additional Information: Interference in Learning

The phenomenon observed in negative transfer of learning, like dialing the former number, is often related to interference. There are two main types of interference:

Proactive Interference: This is when old learning interferes with new learning. In the mobile number example, the *old* mobile number information interferes with remembering or using the *new* mobile number.
Retroactive Interference: This is when new learning interferes with remembering old learning. For example, learning a new address might make it harder to remember your old address.

In the question's scenario, since the prior learning (old number) is affecting the ability to use the new information (new number), it is an example of proactive interference, which leads to negative transfer of learning.