CHAPTER 4

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
Practice a task on learning or performance of another
task.
The Concept of Transfer
Influence of the learning and/or
performance of one skill on the
learning and/or performance of
another.

a skill yet to be learned or

performed it is called proactive
transfer

if it influences the performance of

a previously learned skill it is
called retroactive transfer
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.
Practice of one task has a facilitating effect on performance
Each of the examples presented at the beginning of this chapter involved
positive transfer.
Positive transfer is likely to occur only if practice conditions are as realistic
as possible.
 A teacher may use traffic cones to coach dribbling skills in hockey, but the player
will use a very different method to beat a player in a game, you don't meet many
traffic cones on a hockey pitch!

 The real situation should be used as much as possible to maximise the transfer
effects.

Judd (1908), ‘general element theory’- the process occurs when two task
require the similar general principles.
 Exm :- Soccer player play hockey.
Positive transfer

To ensure that any transfers are helpful, the coach must bear in mind that positive
transfer will take place only if the structure and context in which the skills are
performed are similar to those used in teaching.


Positive transfer is also more likely if the information processing requirements in
practice are similar to the ones of the actual skill

E.g. Throwing a ball and the Tennis Serve


Thorndike in (1914) suggests that the greater components of practice that are
relevant to the 'real' situation, the more likely positive transfer is to take place
and future responses to be correct.


The term 'transfer-appropriate processing' is given to the idea that a new skill
might be different from any skill performed before, but if the cognitive,
information processing requirements are similar then positive transfer could
occur.
Positive transfer
The term 'transfer-appropriate
processing' is given to the idea that a
new skill might be different from any
skill performed before

If the cognitive, information

processing requirements are similar
then positive transfer could occur.
Negative transfer
Negative transfer is rare, and mostly temporary.

It is often associated with the performer misunderstanding the

movement requirements rather than having problems with
movement control.

Negative transfer must be minimised, and coaches must

understand the strategies to avoid it occurring.

Negative transfer occurs when a familiar stimulus requires a new

response
 for example, a tennis player may misjudge her shots when playing indoors
because the techniques needed are subtly different from those required in
outdoor play.
Negative transfer
 Such problems are usually short lived and, once the
performer gets used to the new requirements,
normally disappear.

 Ifthe coach understands that initial performance

may be hindered because of negative transfer and
draws the performer's attention to the problem,
negative transfer can be eliminated.
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.
Practice of one task has inhibiting effect on the
performance.
 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
 Transfer occur if the purpose of 2 responses are the same of the
nature of the stimulus
 Will occur if the purpose of the responses required is similar
 Overhead smash for tennis and badminton (shuttle vs ball) &
( wrist stiff vs flexible)
 identical elements – is hitting the object in any situation.
Why does POSITIVE transfer of skill occur?
Similarity of processing requirements
Transfer-appropriate processing view
Holding (1976), +ve transfer occur when new but similar
stimulus required are similar
Exm : hockey defensive shot vs cricket bouncing ball
Quick respond towards the stimulus
 Amount of positive transfer that takes place often depends on how
well previously performed skills have been learned.
 If a skill is broken down and taught in parts, each part must be
learned thoroughly before positive transfer can be maximised.
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.
If the response to a training stimulus is not consistent with the
response demanded in the real situation, negative transfer could take
place and bad habits could be encouraged.
Negative transfer occur when familiar stimulus
requires a new and different response.
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
 Conclusion
Performance is central to interpreting, both at the professional
level and in the classroom.

Successful expert performance that meets the standards set for

entry into the profession allows students to transition into the
world of professional practice.

Past research on the cognitive dimensions of interpreting has led

to modelling the interpreting process of the hypothetical expert
interpreter with solid professional experience.

However, skill acquisition in interpreting and the various stages

learners pass through towards more expert performance cannot
readily be explained with the models developed for expert
interpreters.

There are numerous factors that co-determine successful expert

performance; many of them, however, are not replicated in
novice performance; also, the learning environment produces
additional factors that will not transition into professional
practice.