Learning 'How' Versus Learning 'When': Improving Transfer of Problem-Solving Principles

How can problem solving be improved in domains where similar principles are learned? A series of three experiments based on Ross (1987) examined how instructing learners about when to apply problem-solving principles may later improve performance. In Experiment 1, subjects studied a similar pair (combinations and permutations) or a distinct pair (combinations and conditional probability) of probability principles. Haft of the subjects received information on when to apply the principles (applicability-instructions condition), whereas other subjects received instructions that reviewed how to solve problems using the principles (procedural-review condition). Subjects who received applicability instructions made fewer confusion errors than subjects who received procedural-review instructions when learning the similar problem pair. However, this instructional manipulation had no effect when subjects were learning the distinct problem pair. Because applicability instructions affect confusion errors but not overall performance, they may improve the ability to identify when to apply a procedure but may not improve memory for the formula or the ability to instantiate it. Experiment 2 supported this notion by showing that subjects given applicability instructions did better at selecting when to use each formula. Experiment 3 tested whether giving learners the pairs of examples to review together afforded them the opportunity to learn the applicability conditions on their own. The results showed that the important differences between the principles (i.e., why the formulas apply in certain situations) must be identified in the instructional material because subjects were not likely to induce the differences on their own. The results showed that when differences between the related principles are identified in instructional material (i.e., why the formula applies in certain problems), these applicability instructions may serve to reduce confusion in noticing and selecting...