Some Task-Related Determinants of Transfer in Perceptual Learning

Abstract

The direction and amount of transfer of training in either observing, discriminating, or labeling random shapes to tasks of either discriminating, recognizing, identifying, or switch-pressing, was assessed. A factorial design was used for assignment of 184 Ss to the treatments, which included different levels of stimulus complexity as well as association value in addition to the main training conditions. The direction of the transfer was in all cases positive; the amount of transfer was dependent on the kind of relation between the training task and the criterion task. All three types of training transferred about equally to the discrimination and the recognition tasks. Differential transfer in favor of prior labeling practice occurred on the identification task but not on the switch-pressing task. The transfer was also partly dependent on the complexity and association value of the stimuli.

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