CHAPTER 08

Types of skill transfer

Course outcome:
1. Explain the types of skill transfer.
2. Discuss two reason why transfer occur.
 What is transfer of skill?
Learning researchers generally define transfer
of skill as the influence of previous
experiences on performing a skill in a new
context or learning a new skill.

Concept: Transfer of skill from one performance

situation to another is an integral part of skill
learning and performance
Why is transfer of skill is IMPORTANT?

Transfer principle has practical and theoretical

significance for:
– Sequencing skills to be learned
– Developing instructional methods
– Assessing the effectiveness of practice conditions
 TYPES OF SKILL TRANSFER
• This influence can result in the following:
– Positive transfer
– Negative transfer
– Neutral (zero)
Positive transfer
Occurs when previous experience facilitates
performance a skill in a new context or the
learning of a new skill.

Each of the examples presented at the

beginning of this chapter involved positive
transfer.
Negative transfer
Occurs when previous experience hinders or
interferes with performance of a skill in a new
context or the learning of a new skill.
For examples: a person who has learned the forehand in
tennis before learning the forehand in badminton often
experience the mechanics of the stroke.
the badminton forehand is a wrist snap, whereas tennis
required a relatively firm wrist.
Neutral (zero) transfer

Occurs when previous experience has no

influence on performance of a skill in a new
context or learning new skill.
Obviously, there is no transfer from learning to
swim to learning to drive a car.
Why does POSITIVE transfer of skill occur?
• Two commonly accepted reasons
– Both based on the relationship between the previous and
new experience or context
• Similarity of skill and context components
– Thorndike’s “identical elements” theory

• Similarity of processing requirements

– Transfer-appropriate processing view
• Although much remains unknown about the cause of
transfer of learning, evidence points to the value of
both hypotheses in accounting for transfer effect
 NEGATIVE TRANSFER.
…considered rare and temporary in motor skill learning…

The negative transfer effects occur when old stimulus required a

new but similar responses.
This means that the environment context characteristics of two
performance situations are similar, but the movement
characteristics are difference.
Two situations that are especially susceptible to negative transfer
involve in change in the spatial location of a movement and
change in the timing structure of the movement.
Negative effects can be overcome with practice.

Important for the practitioner to be aware that

it could cause discouragement early in
practice
Why do negative transfer effects occur?

Two main reasons:

1. Memory representation
2. Cognitive confusion