Experimental Psychology

Bilateral Transfer of Learning

JHANVI RS
1BPSY-A, 24213433
Submitted to: Prof. Saswati Bhattacharya
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
School of Social Sciences
Christ (Deemed to be university)
Delhi NCR campus
PURPOSE
To study Bi-lateral transfer of learning through mirror drawing.
HYPOTHESIS
Learning a motor skill from one hand results in better performance of the same task from the
other hand.
INTRODUCTION
Learning is a key process in human behaviour. It is one of the fundamental processes required
in an individual’s development throughout life. The process of learning provides a gist into
human behaviour because it displays a stable change in one’s behaviour potential gained
through numerous life experiences. Learning heavily relies on experience and
consequentially produces changes in behaviour potential. Fundamentally behaviour potential
refers to the possible behaviour exhibited, not the actual behaviour. The leading idea that is
used as a basis for the psychology of learning is that, environmental influence, conditioning
reinforcement and so on, aid a better and increased understanding of human behaviour.
Essentially Bi-lateral transfer relies on transfer of training which according to the American
psychological association refers to the influence of prior learning on new learning. Here the
learning of one skill influences the learning or performance of another. Bi-lateral transfer is a
transfer of training or part of the performance for a skill from one side of the body to where
the skill was originally learned and primarily used, to the other side. The various kinds of
transfers can be bifurcated into three main streams respectively- Positive, Negative and
Neutral transfer.
Positive transfer in particular refers the improvement or enhancement of present learning by
any previous learning.
Example: When an individual learns a language and acquires all related skills, it becomes
easy for them to translate it at another opportunity.
Learning to drive a car could also facilitate learning to drive a truck
Negative transfer defines a process in which previous learning obstructs or hinders effective
present learning.
Example: A person who already knows how to play a ukulele would have a hard time
playing guitar.
Neutral transfer also called zero transfer, is when the learning of one activity neither aids, nor
interferes with the learning of another task.
Transfer of learning theories play a crucial role in understanding how knowledge and skills
can be applied and transferred to different contexts. Two prominent theories in this domain
are the Theory of identical elements and the Theory of generalisation of experience
  Theory of identical elements
Given by E.L. Thorndike, suggests that transfer occurs when there are similar or identical
elements between the original learning context and the transfer context.
This means that if there are shared features or components between two situations, the
learning from one situation can be effectively transferred to another.
For example: If a student has learned problem-solving strategies in a mathematics class, they
can apply these strategies to solve real-world problems that require similar analytical
thinking.

Theory of generalisation of experience
In contrast to the theory of identical elements, the theory of generalisation of experience
proposes that transfer of learning can happen through the development of general principles.
It suggests that what is learned in one task can be applied to another task by extracting and
applying underlying principles or concepts.
For instance, if students have learned about the scientific method in a biology class, hey can
apply the knowledge acquired from this to conduct experiments in chemistry or physics.
METHODOLOGY
 Subject details
Date- 10 September 2024
Name- AV
Age-18
Gender- Female
 Materials required
Bilateral transfer of Learning Manual, Mirror tracing board, Stopwatch, Error counter,
Writing materials
PROCEDURE
The mirror tracing board, stylus and error counter is connected
Pre- Training
The subject is asked to trace the star with their non-preferred hand first, in an anticlockwise
direction using a stylus. They should not look at the pattern directly while tracing, instead
look at its reflection in the mirror. The pattern should be traced without touching the metal
sides as much as possible. Whenever the styles touch the plate, the error counter will make a
sound. The subject should be given a signal to start while the experimenter simultaneously
records the time using a stopwatch. The time taken and number of errors should be noted.
Only one trial to be conducted.
Training
The subject is asked to trace the pattern with the stylus, using his preferred hand in a
clockwise direction. They should not look at the pattern directly, instead look at it’s reflection
in the mirror. They should trace the star without touching the metal plates as much as
possible. Whenever the stylus touches the metal, the error counter will make a sound. The
subject should be given a signal to start while the experimenter simultaneously records the
time using a stopwatch. The time taken and the number of errors should be notes. 5 trials to
be conducted for the same.
Post training
Following the same procedure, the subject should trace the pattern with their non-preferred
hand in an anticlockwise direction again. The time taken and number of errors to be noted.
INSTRUCTIONS
“At the signal, start tracing the pattern with the stylus without touching the metal as much as
possible. Trace the pattern as fast as you can. Ensure that you are not looking directly at the
pattern, rather viewing it through the reflection in the mirror. One trial will be conducted with
your non-preferred hand in the anticlockwise direction followed by 5 trials with your
preferred hand in a clockwise direction. Again, one trial will be conducted with your non-
preferred hand in the clockwise direction.”
PRECAUTIONS
 Informed consent should be taken before the experiment
 The experimenter should ensure that the subject has understood the instructions
 Subject confidentiality to be maintained
 Ensuring that the subject does not see the pattern directly
TABLE OF RESULTS

Test No. of Hand Direction Time Errors

Pre-training 1 Non-preferred Anti- 22.77 61

Training 1 Preferred Clockwise 12.44 30

2 Preferred Clockwise 08.73 27

3 Preferred Clockwise 09.76 33

4 Preferred Clockwise 09.44 25

5 Preferred Clockwise 08.38 22

Post-training 1 Non-preferred Anti- 12.36 27

RESULTS
The first trial for non-preferred hand took 22.77 seconds and had 61 errors, whereas the last
trial, post training, for non-preferred hand took 12.36 seconds with 27 errors, indicating that a
positive transference of learning has occurred.
DISCUSSION
The subject was an 18-year-old female residing in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The experiment
was conducted in the university psychology lab.
The aim of the experiment was to study Bi-lateral transfer of learning and to detect whether
the transference of learning is positive, negative or neutral.
The experiment uses a mirror-tracing board which is connected to an error counter. The
subject is asked to trace the pattern without viewing the pattern directly, rather using the
reflection from the mirror. The subject is asked to do it as quickly as possible and without
touching the sides of the mirror. Each time the stylus touches the edges a beep sound is made
by the error counter, indicating an error. The time taken and the error for each trial is counted.
The first trial is called the pre-training and is conducted by tracing the pattern using the
subject’s non-preferred hand in an anticlockwise direction. Then comes the training, which is
conducted by using the subject’s preferred hand in clockwise direction. 5 trials are conducted
for the same. The post-training includes tracing the pattern with the subject’s non-preferred
hand, again, in the anticlockwise direction.
The two trials taken of the non-preferred hand, pre and post training is to compare the
performance of the skill, here it being, the tracing of the mirror, after practice of the preferred
hand is given. The hypothesis states that a positive transfer will occur, that is, the time taken
in the last trial will decrease as compared to the first trial for the non-preferred hand, as well
as the errors made. This experiment helped us to prove the hypothesis to be correct.
CONCLUSION
The aim of the experiment was to study Bi-lateral transfer of learning through mirror
drawing. As the number of errors and the time taken compared to the first trial decreased, the
hypothesis was proven true. Hence, the subject experienced positive transference of Bi-lateral
learning.