Chapter 20 Quiz: Transfer

Instructions

Answer all questions. Multiple-choice: select the best answer. Short-answer: one to three sentences. Check against the answer key at the end.

Question 1

Which type of transfer is described as "applying learning to highly similar contexts" and which is described as "applying learning to very different contexts"?

A) Near transfer = similar contexts; Far transfer = different contexts B) Far transfer = similar contexts; Near transfer = different contexts C) Positive transfer = similar contexts; Negative transfer = different contexts D) Direct transfer = similar contexts; Analogical transfer = different contexts

Question 2

The principle of encoding specificity (Tulving & Thompson) explains transfer failures because:

A) Knowledge encoded in one context is tied to that context and may not be retrievable in different contexts B) Specific, procedural knowledge encodes more strongly than general, principled knowledge C) Memories formed during testing encode more specifically than those formed during study D) People tend to encode the specific words and phrases of instruction rather than the underlying meaning

Question 3

In Chi, Feltovich, and Glaser's (1981) research on physics problem categorization, what was the key difference between how expert physicists and novice students sorted physics problems?

A) Experts solved problems faster; novices took more time to categorize B) Experts sorted by surface features (equipment used); novices sorted by deep structure (physical principles) C) Novices sorted by surface features (equipment used); experts sorted by deep structure (physical principles) D) Both groups sorted identically but experts gave better explanations of their categories

Question 4

"Inert knowledge" refers to:

A) Knowledge that has been forgotten through disuse B) Knowledge that can be recalled when explicitly prompted but isn't spontaneously activated in relevant situations C) Knowledge that is accurate but not useful for practical applications D) Knowledge that doesn't update when new conflicting information is encountered

Question 5

True or False: Research clearly shows that far transfer — applying learning across genuinely different domains — is easily achievable with good teaching methods.

Question 6

Which of the following practices is most supported by research as a way to improve transfer?

A) Studying more examples of the same problem type until the procedure is automatic B) Practicing problems in blocked sequences (all of type A, then all of type B) to build type-specific competence C) Practicing problems in interleaved sequences and explicitly extracting the general principle from multiple different examples D) Using mnemonic techniques to ensure strong recall of specific procedures

Question 7

Maya's failure to apply physics knowledge in the lab (Case Study 1) is primarily an example of which transfer failure mechanism?

A) Encoding specificity — she learned in a classroom and couldn't transfer to a lab B) Surface feature categorization — she learned to recognize problem types by equipment, not by underlying physical principle C) Inert knowledge — she had the knowledge but it wasn't activated by the lab context D) Procedural-only learning — she never learned the physics at all, only the formulas

Question 8

What does the chapter identify as the key reason why interleaved practice improves transfer?

A) It prevents forgetting by distributing practice more evenly across content B) It forces learners to discriminate between problem types — deciding which approach applies — which is exactly the skill needed for recognizing deep structure in novel problems C) It reduces cognitive load by alternating between easy and hard problems D) It exposes learners to more total problem types than blocked practice

Question 9

True or False: According to the chapter, David's software engineering skills transferred automatically to machine learning because the deep structures are similar.

Question 10

What is the key difference between "teaching for performance" and "teaching for transfer"?

Write two to three sentences.

Question 11

A chemistry student learns about equilibrium reactions: "a system at equilibrium resists changes that disturb the equilibrium." She then recognizes the same principle in economics (markets adjusting to shocks), in ecology (predator-prey population dynamics), and in thermostat engineering (the system returning to a set point). This is an example of:

A) Near transfer within the chemistry domain B) Surface feature recognition across domains C) Analogical reasoning — mapping deep relational structure across different surface contexts D) Inert knowledge becoming activated by multiple exposures

Question 12

According to the chapter, what is the "middle path" approach to learning for transfer? List at least three elements.

Write three to five sentences.

Answer Key

1. A — Near transfer applies learning to similar contexts; far transfer applies it to very different ones. Near transfer is achievable reliably with good teaching; far transfer is much more difficult and less commonly achieved.

2. A — Encoding specificity means that retrieval is best when conditions match encoding. Since memories are tied to their encoding context, different retrieval contexts reduce access to the knowledge. This is one reason that learning in varied contexts improves transfer — it weakens context-specific encoding.

3. C — Novices sorted by surface features (there's a pulley in this problem); experts by deep structure (this is a conservation of energy problem). The same paper is foundational to understanding why expertise enables transfer while novice knowledge does not.

4. B — Inert knowledge is knowledge that's present and can be retrieved under explicit prompting but isn't activated spontaneously when relevant. The student knows the concept but doesn't think to apply it when it would be useful.

5. False — The chapter is explicit: far transfer is rare and difficult to achieve, even with good teaching. Near transfer is reliably achievable; far transfer is the hardest thing in education to produce deliberately.

6. C — Interleaving and explicit principle extraction are the most research-supported approaches. Blocked practice builds type-specific competence but doesn't develop the discrimination and deep structure recognition skills needed for transfer.

7. B — Maya's primary failure was surface feature categorization. She'd learned to recognize physics problem types by their equipment and experimental setup (surface features) rather than by the underlying physical principles (deep structure). This is the Chi et al. (1981) finding applied directly.

8. B — Interleaving forces learners to decide which approach applies to each problem, rather than having the context make it obvious (as in blocked practice). This discrimination skill — recognizing deep structure in varied surface contexts — is exactly what transfer requires.

9. False — The chapter explicitly states that the transfer "didn't happen automatically" — David had to "sit down and explicitly look for structural similarities." The deep structures are similar, but far transfer requires deliberate analogical mapping, not automatic activation.

10. Sample answer: Teaching for performance optimizes students to solve the specific problem types they'll encounter on predictable tests — it produces strong near transfer to similar test formats but doesn't build principled understanding. Teaching for transfer prioritizes understanding principles and varied application, which may produce slightly lower scores on predictable tests but significantly better performance on novel applications. The tension arises because educational testing typically measures near transfer while real-world application requires something closer to far transfer.

11. C — This is analogical reasoning across domains. The student has identified the relational structure (a system that resists disturbances from equilibrium) and recognized it in multiple different surface contexts. This is the cognitive operation that underlies far transfer.

12. Sample answer: The middle path for learning with transfer in mind involves: (1) learning principles explicitly — after any example, stating the underlying principle in general terms; (2) varying practice contexts deliberately — seeking the same concept in different domains and formats; (3) explicitly comparing cases to find deep structural similarities and differences; (4) practicing problem categorization, not just solution; and (5) regularly asking the transfer question — "could I apply this correctly in a novel situation I've never seen?" These practices together build the principled, portable understanding that transfers, rather than the surface-feature, context-specific knowledge that doesn't.