Briefly describe the concepts of specific and general transfer; near and far transfer; and high- and low-road transfer

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Specific transfer and general transfer are types of positive transfer. Specific transfer occurs when there are specific structural similarities between the two tasks. General transfer occurs when these structural similarities do not exist but similar cognitive processes are used to meet the demands of both tasks. Near transfer and far transfer are also forms of positive transfer that are similar in some respects to specific transfer and general transfer, respectively, but the conditions under which they occur are specified in more detail. Near transfer occurs when the knowledge domains for two tasks are highly similar, the settings for the original and transfer tasks are basically the same, and the elapsed time between the original and transfer tasks is relatively brief. Far transfer occurs when the knowledge domains and settings are dissimilar and the time between the two tasks is relatively long.
Contemporary views of transfer include the concepts of high- and low-road transfer. Low-road transfer occurs when previously learned information is automatically retrieved from memory and applied to learning a new task. Students must be given ample opportunity to practice one skill in a variety of different settings before low-road transfer will automatically occur. High-road transfer, on the other hand, refers to a conscious attempt to formulate an abstraction (rule, schema) that allows a connection between two tasks. Metaphors can be thought of as high-road transfer, since a metaphor is a blueprint of sorts, or an abstraction, which can be used to represent one or more concepts or ideas.