When and where do we apply what we learn? A taxonomy for far transfer.

Full Abstract

Despite a century's worth of research, arguments surrounding the question of whether far transfer occurs have made little progress toward resolution. The authors argue the reason for this confusion is a failure to specify various dimensions along which transfer can occur, resulting in comparisons of "apples and oranges." They provide a framework that describes 9 relevant dimensions and show that the literature can productively be classified along these dimensions, with each study situated at the intersection of various dimensions. Estimation of a single effect size for far transfer is misguided in view of this complexity. The past 100 years of research shows that evidence for transfer under some conditions is substantial, but critical conditions for many key questions are untested.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Barnett, Susan M (SM); Ceci, Stephen J (SJ);

Affiliation: Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. smb11@cornell.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Psychological bulletin (Psychol Bull), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Jul; vol 128 (issue 4) : pp 612-37

Dates: Created 2002/06/25; Completed 2002/07/31; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12081085, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.

See 100+ related articles.