negative transfer

American  

noun

Psychology.

1. the obstruction of or interference with new learning because of previous learning, as when a U.S. tourist in England learns to drive on the left side of the road.

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Etymology

Origin of negative transfer

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

negative transfer

The study also revealed a less obvious challenge known as negative transfer.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

"The negative transfer is not random. It is driven by underlying physical degeneracies in the model," says Krishnaraj.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

Suggestibility in his sense is nothing more than an inclination to transference, bounded so narrowly that there is no room for any negative transfer.

From A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud

Without transference of this sort, or without a negative transfer, he would not even listen to the physician and to his arguments.

From A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud