Syllabus coverage
- Define transfer of learning as the effect of learning a skill on the learning of another skill
- Explain types of transfer: positive, negative, zero, proactive, retroactive and bilateral
- Explain and evaluate strategies to optimise positive transfer
- Explain and evaluate strategies to limit negative transfer
Part of the AS Level PE 8386 syllabus 8386.
What transfer of learning means
Transfer of learning is the effect of learning a skill on the learning of another skill. It answers a simple question: when a performer already owns one skill, does that skill help or hinder the next one they learn?
Transfer is not a rare event — it happens every time a performer brings something they can already do into a new activity. Cambridge wants you to name the type of transfer and then say what that type means for the performer.
The six types live in three pairs: helpful or unhelpful (positive, negative, zero), which skill affects which (proactive, retroactive), and one side of the body or the other (bilateral).
Positive, negative and zero transfer
These three describe the effect of the earlier learning: good, bad, or nothing at all.
| Type | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive transfer | A previously learned skill helps the learning or performance of a new skill | A basketball player learning netball finds the chest pass and the two-handed catch almost identical to what she already does, so the new skill is learned quickly |
| Negative transfer | A previously learned skill hinders the learning or performance of a new skill | A squash player taking up tennis keeps flicking the wrist; the squash forehand conflicts with the firmer, longer tennis forehand |
| Zero transfer | The previous skill has no effect on the learning or performance of a new skill | An experienced competitive swimmer gets no help from swimming when learning a table tennis serve — the skills share no movement pattern |
Proactive and retroactive transfer: which skill affects which?
These two describe the direction of the effect. Both can be helpful or harmful — the direction and the effect are separate questions.
The wording of the question tells you the answer. If the earlier skill changes the later one, it is proactive. If the later skill changes the earlier one, it is retroactive.
| Type | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Proactive transfer | A skill learned earlier affects the learning of a skill learned afterwards (earlier → later) | A cricketer who already bowls overarm learns the overarm throw in goalball more quickly, because the earlier throwing pattern helps the later skill |
| Retroactive transfer | A skill learned later affects a skill learned earlier (later → earlier) | A tennis player who spends a season building a two-handed backhand finds the old one-handed backhand has altered, because the new skill has acted back on the old one |
Bilateral transfer: the two sides of the body
Bilateral transfer is when a skill learned on one side of the body transfers to the other side. It is transfer within the same performer, not between two performers.
It matters practically, because it explains why practising with the dominant limb alone still improves the non-dominant one, and why good coaches work both sides in every session.
- A right-footed footballer's kicking action transfers to the left foot, so the weaker foot improves even when practice is mainly on the stronger side
- A badminton player who can play a forehand on the right side learns the equivalent stroke on the left side more quickly
- Bilateral transfer works best once the skill is well learned on the dominant side — a half-learned skill transfers confusion, not technique
Conditions that promote positive transfer
Positive transfer is not automatic just because two activities belong to the same family. Cambridge expects you to say what makes it happen.
| Condition | Why it promotes positive transfer |
|---|---|
| The skills are similar in movement pattern | Similar technique, muscle groups and timing mean the performer can reuse a movement they already own |
| The practice conditions are similar | Similar surface, boundaries, numbers and equipment let the performer apply the skill to conditions they recognise |
| The same cues and decisions are involved | If the performer is reading the same information and making the same decisions, the thinking part of the skill transfers as well as the movement |
| The first skill is well learned | A grooved, near-automatic skill transfers reliably; a half-learned one transfers errors |
| The performer understands the underlying principle | Principles and concepts transfer more widely than isolated techniques |
| The coach points the link out | Naming what is the same makes the transfer deliberate instead of accidental |
| Positive previous experience and motivation | Confidence from having learned something similar encourages the performer to attempt the new skill |
Conditions that cause negative transfer
Negative transfer is most common when two skills look alike but are technically different — the performer does what feels familiar and it is wrong for the new activity.
| Condition | Why it causes negative transfer |
|---|---|
| The skills look similar but the technique differs | The performer reuses a habit that does not work in the new skill, which then has to be unlearned |
| Different timing or sequencing | The same movement made at the wrong moment fails, so the old rhythm interferes with the new one |
| Both skills are learned at the same time | Two competing patterns are practised together and neither becomes dominant |
| The earlier skill was poorly learned | A faulty habit is carried straight into the new skill |
| Different perceptual cues | The performer responds to the wrong information and makes the wrong decision |
| Anxiety, fatigue or low motivation | Under pressure or when tired, the performer falls back on the old, familiar pattern |
Strategies to optimise positive transfer, and to limit negative transfer
Strategy questions carry the highest marks in this subtopic, so learn the strategies as actions with a reason attached — what the coach does and why it works.
| To optimise positive transfer | To limit negative transfer |
|---|---|
| Sequence the skills correctly: teach the well-matched skill first so the useful habit already exists | Point out the differences: contrast grip, backswing and wrist action so the performer knows what must change |
| Show the two skills side by side and name the shared technique, muscle groups and timing | Do not teach conflicting skills in the same session — separate them in time so the old pattern cannot compete |
| Make sure the first skill is mastered before introducing the new one | Correct the faulty habit first, before the new skill is added, so the error does not transfer with it |
| Practise in conditions resembling the new activity: similar surface, equipment, numbers and rules | Use part practice and clear demonstrations so the performer copies a clean model of the new technique |
| Teach the principle behind the skill, not just the technique | Allow overlearning of the new skill so the correct pattern becomes the dominant one |
| Practise on both sides of the body to build bilateral transfer | Practise the new skill in its own conditions so the old setting does not trigger the old habit |
| Use praise and feedback that names the transfer, e.g. telling a netball player she used her basketball pass | Keep anxiety low and confidence high — a calm performer is less likely to fall back on an old habit |
| Use varied practice so the performer can adapt the skill to a new setting | Give immediate, specific feedback so the interference is corrected before it becomes a habit |
Key terms you must be able to define
- Transfer of learning
- The effect of learning a skill on the learning of another skill.
- Positive transfer
- When a previously learned skill helps the learning or performance of a new skill.
- Negative transfer
- When a previously learned skill hinders the learning or performance of a new skill.
- Zero transfer
- When a previously learned skill has no effect on the learning or performance of a new skill.
- Proactive transfer
- When a skill learned earlier affects the learning of a skill learned afterwards.
- Retroactive transfer
- When a skill learned later affects a skill learned earlier.
- Bilateral transfer
- When a skill learned on one side of the body transfers to the same skill on the other side of the body.
Applied to your sport
Cambridge requires you to apply this knowledge to physical activities. Use these as models, then write your own for the sport you play.
A right-footed player learning to pass with the left foot shows bilateral transfer: the kicking action learned on the stronger side transfers to the weaker side, which is why coaches insist on two-footed practice.
A basketball player taking up netball gains positive transfer: the chest pass and the two-handed catch are so similar that the new skills are learned quickly and accurately.
A squash player moving to tennis must fight negative transfer. The wristy squash forehand and short backswing conflict with the firm-wristed, longer tennis stroke, so the coach has to highlight the differences.
Years of competitive swimming give a player no advantage when learning a table tennis serve. There is no shared movement pattern, so transfer is zero.
An overarm bowling action learned in cricket makes the overarm throw in goalball easier to learn — an example of proactive transfer, where an earlier skill speeds up a later one.
Flashcards
Click a card to flip it. Mark honestly — the tracker uses this.
Exam-style questions
7 questions, 21 marks. Write your answer, then reveal the mark scheme and tick each point you actually made. Answering honestly here is what makes the rest of the site useful.
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Exam technique for this topic
- Name the type of transfer first, then state the effect. A label with no effect is rarely worth full marks.
- Separate direction from effect in your answer: proactive and retroactive tell you which skill acts on which, not whether the transfer helps.
- Strategy questions want action plus reason. Write 'the coach separates the two skills into different sessions, so the old pattern cannot compete with the new one' — not just 'practise separately'.
- When a question hands you a sporting context, stay inside it. If it names tennis and badminton, do not answer with football.
- Use only activities from the syllabus list in your examples, and always link the example back to the type of transfer you named.
Why students lose marks here
Where this fits in AS Level PE 8386
This page is one topic of Cambridge AS Level PE 8386. AS Level PE 8386 is the course home: every area and every topic in Cambridge's own order, the papers you sit and what each one tests, and the exam-practice tools. The full topic list, with each topic linked to its revision page, is on the AS Level PE 8386 syllabus page.