Negative transfer occurs when old learning interferes with new learning, leading to mistakes or confusion. It can happen in language learning or when using different vehicles or equipment. Safety checklists can help prevent negative transfer in potentially dangerous situations.
Negative transfer is a situation in which a person transfers old learning and knowledge into a new situation, and the old information interferes with new information acquisition and task performance. This can be inconvenient or dangerous, depending on the type of situation involved. A number of problems can contribute to the development of negative transfer, and there may be some steps instructors can take to prevent it.
A classic example can come from the teaching of foreign languages. A student learning Spanish may have problems with French and Italian, two closely related languages, due to negative transfer from his Spanish classes to his other language classes. He might be using the wrong vocabulary or conjugation structure, for example. This occurs because the brain identifies a false correlation and tries to use its previous successful experiences to navigate a new situation.
Many drivers who have learned on a car with a manual transmission experience a negative transfer when driving a car with an automatic transmission. The brain recognizes the environment as a car and attempts to perform normal operations such as shifting gears, only to find that this is not possible because the vehicle does not operate that way. Vehicle confusion can also create problems when instruments are aligned differently and drivers do things like read the wrong dial or activate the wrong controls. This can lead to an innocent mistake like turning on the headlights instead of the wipers or a more serious problem that can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
In negative transference, old learning interferes with new learning and new experiences. The brain has a set of pre-established patterns that it uses to capture, store and retrieve memories, and sometimes the triggers of memories can be confusing. In the example of a driver trying to handle a new car, the brain recognizes the environment, but doesn’t understand that cars aren’t universal, and therefore things like controls can move from one car to another. The driver may have trouble learning the format of the new controls because their brain keeps repeating old patterns from the previous car.
For operators of vehicles and heavy equipment, negative transfer can be potentially very dangerous. Some safety checklists require operators to go through a number of steps before starting work so they can become familiar with the controls. In an aircraft, for example, the pre-flight checklist designed to make sure all systems are working properly for safety can also be useful for a pilot who needs to get his bearings in a new cockpit.
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