ABSTRACT
In this research, we investigated the factors that mediate the use of prior knowledge in learning new procedures. Participants learned to operate two different versions of four tasks on a hypothetical device interface. At a conceptual level, all devices were operated in the same way. However, in some conditions, the appearance of the two versions was manipulated by changing the graphical appearance of the interface. A second manipulation concerned the physical layout: The position of the device controls, graphics, and gauges was either the same or different from one version to the next. Providing the same appearance and providing the same physical layout both increased the amount of transfer. These effects were additive, suggesting that the factors contribute independently to learning. Our interpretation is that appearance affects the use of semantic constraint, while layout affects the use of structural analogy.
