Negative transfer is a situation in which a person transfers old knowledge and knowledge to a new situation, and the old information interferes with the acquisition of new information and the performance of tasks. This can be inconvenient or dangerous, depending on the type of situation involved. Various problems can contribute to the development of negative transfer, and there may be some steps that instructors can take to avoid it.
A classic example can arise in foreign language education. A student learning Spanish may have trouble in French and Italian, two closely related languages, through the negative transfer of their Spanish classes to their other language classes. You could use the wrong vocabulary or conjugation structure, for example. This occurs because the brain identifies a false correlation and tries to use its previous successful experiences to navigate a new situation.
Many drivers who learned in a manual transmission car experience a negative transfer when driving a car with an automatic transmission. The brain recognizes the environment as a car and tries to execute normal operations like gear changes, only to find that this is not possible because the vehicle does not function that way. Vehicle confusion can also create problems when instruments are aligned differently and drivers do things like read the wrong dial or activate the wrong controls. This can lead to an innocent mistake, such as putting the headlights instead of the windshield wipers, or a more serious problem that can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
In negative transfer, old learning interferes with new learning and experiences. The brain has a series of established patterns that it uses to acquire, store, and retrieve memories, and sometimes the triggers for memories can create confusion. In the example of a driver trying to drive a new car, the brain recognizes the environment, but does not understand that cars are not universal and therefore things like controls can move from car to car. The driver may have trouble learning the format of the new controls because his brain keeps repeating old patterns from the old car.
For vehicle and heavy equipment operators, negative transfer can be potentially very dangerous. Some safety checklists require operators to follow a series of steps before starting work so that they can become familiar with the controls. In an aircraft, for example, the preflight checklist designed to make sure all systems are working properly for safety can also be useful for a pilot who needs to orient himself in a new cockpit.