Transfer of high domain knowledge to a similar domain

RYAN K. JESSUP
Indiana University

Researchers have widely examined domain knowledge yet rarely investigate the transfer of knowledge from one domain to another. This study sought to fill in the literature gap concerning the impact of domain knowledge on memory in a similar situation. Specifically, this study examined whether high knowledge of baseball could enhance memory for the similar yet unknown domain of cricket, using a 2 (knowledge) ¡Ñ 2 (prime) design. An interaction occurred, indicating that when primed, baseball knowledge improves memory for cricket events in participants with high baseball knowledge but reduces memory in their low-knowledge counterparts. These results suggest that extensive knowledge in one domain allows it to serve as an organizational framework for incoming information in a similar domain; conversely, priming poorly understood domain knowledge results in negative transfer.