Transfer of Learning
Transfer of learning occurs when knowledge or skills acquired in one situation affect performance in another. Transfer can help or hinder the new task, and closely related tasks differ from substantially different ones. Success in a simulation therefore does not establish success outside it; performance needs to be assessed in the intended setting.
Term statusEstablished Concept
A concept used in academic or professional literature. This label does not mean every claim about it is settled. About these labels.
Evidence for the claims on this page: Research synthesis
The chapter reviews conditions for applying learning in new settings. Transfer beyond a trained task must be demonstrated, not assumed.
How to read this assessmentWhat it is
Transfer of learning is the influence of prior learning on performance in a new context. Transfer may be positive or negative, and studies distinguish transfer to closely related tasks from transfer to substantially different ones. (National Research Council, 2000)
In everyday language
Practice is useful beyond the exercise when it helps you handle a different task or setting. Sometimes a learned habit can also get in the way.
What it isn't
Success inside a simulation does not establish real-world transfer. Feeling confident or immersed is also different from demonstrating a skill in the target setting.
An example
Hypothetical example: after practicing a procedure in a simulator, a learner performs it in a real setting. Comparing that performance with a suitable control helps assess transfer.
Key features
- Requires assessment beyond the original learning situation
- Can help or hinder a later task
- Depends on what was learned and what the new task requires
How it relates to synthetic imprinting
Transfer offers an established way to study useful or harmful carryover from synthetic experiences. Durability can be assessed with delayed performance tests.
Research context
How People Learn reviews how understanding, practice, and learning conditions affect transfer. Evidence from a particular training task does not justify broad claims about improvement across unrelated abilities. (National Research Council, 2000)
Related terms
Sources and what they support
- How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition — Learning and Transfer — National Research Council (2000). National Academies Press.
Research synthesis. Chapter 3 reviews transfer to new tasks and situations, including the roles of understanding, practice, and learning conditions.
Cite this definition
SyntheticImprinting.com Editorial Project. (2026-09-27). Transfer of Learning. Version 1.4. SyntheticImprinting.com. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/transfer-of-learning/
APA: SyntheticImprinting.com. (2026). Transfer of Learning. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/transfer-of-learning/
MLA: “Transfer of Learning.” SyntheticImprinting.com, 2026, https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/transfer-of-learning/. Accessed November 12, 2026.
Chicago: SyntheticImprinting.com. “Transfer of Learning.” Last modified 2026-09-27. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/transfer-of-learning/.
Revision history
- Version 1.4 · Current
Added claim-level citations and a separate assessment of evidence support. The opening definition is unchanged.
Read this version’s definition
Transfer of learning occurs when knowledge or skills acquired in one situation affect performance in another. Transfer can help or hinder the new task, and closely related tasks differ from substantially different ones. Success in a simulation therefore does not establish success outside it; performance needs to be assessed in the intended setting.
- Version 1.3
Expanded the opening definition; added explicit boundaries, source context, related-term cards, and linked editorial attribution.
Read the previous definition
Transfer of learning occurs when knowledge or skills acquired in one situation affect performance in another. Transfer can help or hinder the new task, and closely related tasks differ from substantially different ones. Success in a simulation therefore does not establish success outside it; performance needs to be assessed in the intended setting.
- Version 1.0
Definition recorded in the previous release. Earlier edits are not reconstructed here.
Read the previous definition
Transfer of learning occurs when knowledge or skills acquired in one situation affect performance in another.
What the status means
Established Concept
A concept used in academic or professional literature. This label does not mean every claim about it is settled.
How evidence labels workHelp improve this entry
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