Chapter 11 Quiz

Transfer: How to Learn Something Once and Use It Everywhere

Answer all questions without referring to the chapter. After completing the quiz, check your answers in Appendix I and use the results to identify which concepts need additional retrieval practice.

Multiple Choice

1. Transfer is best defined as: - a) The ability to memorize information and reproduce it on a test - b) The ability to apply what you've learned in one context to a different context - c) The process of moving information from working memory to long-term memory - d) The automatic improvement in one skill that comes from practicing a different skill

2. In the Gick and Holyoak fortress-radiation study, the primary barrier to spontaneous transfer was: - a) Students didn't understand the military story - b) Students couldn't understand the radiation problem - c) Students failed to recognize the structural similarity between the two problems - d) The problems were too difficult for college students

3. Near transfer differs from far transfer primarily in: - a) How long the learning lasts - b) How similar the original and new contexts are - c) How much effort the learner puts in - d) Whether the learner is an expert or a novice

4. When learners focus on surface similarity rather than structural similarity, they are most likely to: - a) Successfully transfer knowledge to very different domains - b) Fail to recognize that a new problem has the same structure as one they've already solved - c) Build stronger abstract schemas - d) Engage in high road transfer

5. Transfer-appropriate processing predicts that: - a) The most effective study strategy is the one that feels most comfortable - b) Memory performance depends on the match between study conditions and test/application conditions - c) Transfer is impossible when study and application contexts differ - d) Passive review is effective as long as the content is the same

6. An abstract schema is: - a) A detailed, context-specific example of a concept - b) A mental template capturing the underlying pattern of a problem type, stripped of specific details - c) A visual diagram used in dual coding - d) A multiple-choice test format

7. Low road transfer: - a) Is deliberate, effortful, and conscious - b) Depends on the learner's ability to extract abstract principles - c) Is automatic and reflexive, triggered by surface similarity and extensive practice - d) Is the primary mechanism for far transfer

8. High road transfer requires: - a) Extensive practice until the skill is automatic - b) Deliberate abstraction and conscious analogical reasoning - c) That the original and new situations look very similar - d) A teacher to explicitly provide the connection

9. Bridging promotes transfer by: - a) Making practice conditions closely resemble application conditions - b) Explicitly prompting learners to make connections between what they're learning and other domains - c) Increasing the number of practice repetitions - d) Reducing the difficulty of practice tasks

10. Hugging promotes transfer by: - a) Explicitly prompting learners to abstract principles across domains - b) Making practice conditions closely resemble the real-world application conditions - c) Encouraging learners to reflect on their learning process - d) Providing detailed feedback after every practice attempt

True or False

11. The main barrier to transfer is that people lack the capacity for analogical reasoning — they simply cannot see structural similarities. - True / False

12. Variation of practice (Chapter 10) promotes transfer because it broadens encoding conditions and reduces context-dependency. - True / False

13. Low road transfer is the primary mechanism for far transfer, while high road transfer handles near transfer. - True / False

14. Comparing two analogous examples side by side produces better transfer than studying either example alone, even when total study time is equal. - True / False

15. "Inert knowledge" refers to knowledge that has been forgotten and cannot be retrieved under any conditions. - True / False

Short Answer

16. Dr. James Okafor transfers his diagnostic reasoning skills from cardiology to pulmonology. Using the concepts from this chapter, explain: (a) What type of transfer is this — near or far? (b) What abstract schema did he extract? (c) Did he use bridging, hugging, or both? Describe specifically how.

17. A student says, "I understood the concept perfectly in class, but when I saw it on the test in a different format, I couldn't recognize it." Using at least three concepts from this chapter, diagnose what went wrong and suggest two specific interventions.

18. Design a study plan for an upcoming exam that uses both bridging and hugging to maximize transfer. Be specific about: - What subject or skill you're studying - One hugging strategy you'll use and what conditions it replicates - One bridging strategy you'll use and what connections it builds - How you'll know whether the transfer strategies worked

Answer Key Guidance

When checking your answers: - Questions 1-10: One correct answer each - Questions 11-15: True or False with explanation required for "False" answers - Questions 16-18: See rubric criteria in Appendix I; focus on whether your answer demonstrates understanding of the surface-structure distinction, the high road/low road framework, and the difference between bridging and hugging

Scoring guide: - 16-18 correct: Strong mastery — you're ready for Chapter 12 - 12-15 correct: Solid foundation with some gaps — review the sections where you struggled - 8-11 correct: Significant gaps — reread Sections 11.2, 11.3, and 11.6 carefully, then retake - Below 8: Start with the vocabulary pre-loading table and reread Section 11.3 (surface vs. structural similarity) before retrying

Full answers appear in Appendix I.