The Science Behind Transfer of Learning
We know much more now about the science behind Transfer of Learning than ever before.
At Lever, we believe that the science needs to be shouted out to advance and take advantage of what we now know. We want you, as a learning or HR professional, to know and be able to explain why the learning you are designing and creating for your organisations ‘works’ for us as humans, and creates great outcomes.
The science behind the transfer of learning tells us how we absorb and act upon what we learn. We need to consider multiple aspects of science as it relates to the transfer of learning, and we will do so over our next three articles.
Here, we are going to start with neuroscience and consider the way our brain operates when learning, and how we can work with our natural abilities in order to enhance the transfer of learning. While it’s a complex topic for a blog post I’m hoping these ideas will be a starting point for further discussion in your organisation.
Homeostasis vs. neuroplasticity
It is remarkable how often one can find a reason to review Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, namely that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by some other force.
This can be applied to the human brain. The brain is designed to homeostasis: to go back to what is familiar and what is comfortable. As much as we like to think that the human species is curious and pursues knowledge and growth, neuroscience tells us that the brain does not react well to change. It likes to stay at rest or with the status quo. When we need to change (driven either by ourselves or others) it requires a high degree of effort. This change stimulates an arousal state in the brain, perceived as stress, so people resist it. It is much easier in life to accept what is and stay as we are, rather than change and apply the learning into our life and role.
If we accept that fact, we realise that for learning to create results, there needs to be an ongoing effort to apply what is learned. There needs to be a process and support in place by which the learner actively employs the knowledge that they have gained; otherwise, the transfer does not take. Naturally, the brain and people would rather remain the same. Learning professionals must battle the brain’s desire for homeostasis.
Conversely, we also know that although the brain is wired for homeostasis this doesn’t mean that it can’t change. What we would have once thought impossible is now proven by science. ‘The Brain that Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge is a great read and has some fascinating examples of how people have transformed their lives and situations proving that the brain has neuroplasticity, rather than being fixed.
As much as people say ‘You can’t teach an old dog a new trick’, Norman Doidge’s (and others’) work tells us that isn’t true – the brain can and does change, and with it, our behaviours can change too.
Part of the process of changing the brain is to create the desire to change. One of the ways we do that with Coach M and in the Turning Learning into Action Methodology is to have learners include the ‘why’ behind the learning on their action plan. It’s often this that helps people move forward more than the goal themselves. Getting people keyed into the why creates this desire for change, which will drive momentum to overcome the inertia associated with homeostasis.
Making it personal
The importance of getting the learner bought into this ‘why’ and the learning being beneficial to them, is backed up by science. Whether this is through experiential methods, awareness-raising, reflection or (as a last resort) being told, when a person determines that learning is going to benefit them personally, they actually receive a boost in both dopamine and serotonin levels, which are the neurotransmitters which tell us we are supposed to be happy or pleased. Linking the learning to purpose and what the learner is looking to achieve in their role also supports this.
Because of the plasticity of the human brain (I refer again to ‘The Brain That Changes Itself’) and its functions, creating a mood that encourages and rewards learning stimulates the basal ganglia, which is the area of the brain that causes habitual behaviour. If the basal ganglia recognises new input as a positive change, it will signal the rest of the brain to desire more of the change to occur. That’s why children become eager to learn once they begin; their brains are developing a new and pleasurable habit. It’s also why, at Lever, we always start with small steps and quick wins which build the momentum and the desire for change.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman’s Nobel Prize-winning research into the dichotomy of human thought plays a role in this examination of the brain’s role in learning. While his field was more cognitive psychology rather than neuroscience, his thinking laid the foundation for this new field of research.
Kahneman determined that the brain can be divided into two systems: system 1, the fast brain and system 2, the slow brain. The fast is instinctive, operating quickly and automatically with a low level of effort, while the second is ponderous, allocating attention to mental activities, thinking, choice and concentration. The first is emotional; the second is logical.
More importantly, however, is that the ‘fast’ is easy. Intuitive thought just happens. The ‘slow’ is difficult for the brain. It requires more effort and actual brainpower, including hearing, listening, and processing.
In his book ‘The Happiness Hypothesis’, Jonathan Haidt uses a metaphor of the elephant and the rider when explaining these brain systems. The rider is our self-conscious, reflective selves, and the elephant is our emotional, instinctive, habitual self. (Thanks to Julie Dirksen for introducing me to this metaphor.)
To drive behaviour change, we need to get our ‘rider’ brain leveraging the power of the elephant. We need to create processes that will help us slow down and reflect on our learning. While this takes effort, we can use it to identify the quick wins and strategies to support behaviour change that will bring the ‘elephant’ on the journey.
What neuroscience teaches us about learning
We do much of our learning by necessity. For organisations to really maximise the power of their most unique resource, their people, they need to help them learn and grow. They need to go beyond learning the basics and leverage the brain to drive behavioural change.
Neuroscience teaches us that non-essential learning or what we might call development is not a natural, instinctive pursuit. It is learned behaviour. For the transfer of learning cycle to be completed, it is necessary for the brain to be activated in such a way that learning is recognised as pleasurable or beneficial in some way and then transformed into a habitual behaviour.
Learning requires reflection, repetition, and application. Our learning interventions require forethought to compel this process until it becomes embedded in our day-to-day roles and behaviours.
Nobody said it was going to be easy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the journey!