Abstract
Research has documented that high levels of signal probability (or base rates) during training positively impact transfer of learning when transfer stimuli differ from training stimuli. Whether this transfer performance varies significantly from situations where transfer stimuli are identical to training stimuli is unknown. To examine this, participants (scenario 1: n = 36, scenario 2: n = 33) performed a visual search task wherein they were trained on one of three base rates: 100%, 50%, 20%; at transfer, participants detected the same targets used during training (scenario 1) or novel targets (scenario 2), at a base rate of 20%. Higher base rates improved transfer (higher hit rates) only when transfer stimuli differed from training stimuli. When transfer stimuli were identical to training stimuli, differential base rate training did not have significant effects on transfer performance. These results have implications for improving training modules for operators in vigilance tasks.
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