RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contextual determinants of the social-transfer-of-learning effect
Nadia Milanese
•
Cristina Iani
•
Natalie Sebanz
•
Sandro Rubichi
Received: 14 December 2010 / Accepted: 1 April 2011 / Published online: 22 April 2011
Ó Springer-Verlag 2011
Abstract A recent study (Milanese et al. in Cogn
116(1):15–22, 2010) showed that performing a spatial
compatibility task with incompatible S–R links (i.e., the
practice task) alongside a co-actor eliminates the Simon
effect in a subsequent joint Simon task (i.e., the transfer
task). In the present study, we conducted three experiments
to individuate which elements of the practice task need to
remain constant for this social-transfer-of-learning to
occur. In Experiment 1, participants performed the practice
task alongside a co-actor and the Simon task with a dif-
ferent co-actor; in Experiment 2, they performed the
practice task alongside a co-actor and the Simon task with
the same co-actor after exchanging their seats. Results
showed a modulation of the joint Simon effect in Experi-
ment 1 only. In Experiment 2, we found a regular joint
Simon effect. These results indicate that, while co-actor
identity is not crucial, other elements of the context, such
as keeping the same position across tasks, are necessary for
the social-transfer-of-learning to occur. On the whole, our
data suggest that the social-transfer-of-learning effect is not
tuned to a specific co-actor and depends on spatial
parameters of the practice and transfer tasks.
Keywords Joint performance Á Shared representations Á
Simon effect Á Spatial compatibility Á Transfer-of-learning
Introduction
Human action always occurs in context (Stoutland 1998),
and changes in context may fundamentally alter percep-
tion, action, and cognition. The context in which our
actions take place not only is fundamental for under-
standing the meaning of these actions (Bratman 1999; Leist
2007) but also, at least in some cases, predicts perfor-
mance. Given the relevance of this topic, many studies
have focused on the role of context on learning processes
(e.g., Godden and Baddeley 1975; Milanese et al. 2010;
Smith 1988; Smith and Vela 2001). While some of these
studies found that context plays only a small role in human
learning processes (e.g., Smith 1988), other studies dem-
onstrated that our ability to transfer new information from a
task to another is strongly influenced by context (Godden
and Baddeley 1975; Milanese et al. 2010). In the classic
Godden and Baddeley’s study, for instance, participants
had to learn lists of words in two different natural contexts,
either on dry land or underwater. They were then asked to
remember these words either in the same or in the other
context. The authors found that words were better recalled
in the same context, that is, participants who had learned
the lists of words underwater remembered more words
underwater than on dry land, and vice versa.
Most of the studies addressing the influence of context
on learning processes have focused on performance in an
individual context. However, much of what we do every-
day, we do by interacting with other people in various
social contexts. Sometimes, these social interactions
involve unintentional coordination, such as when we mimic
N. Milanese Á C. Iani
Universita
`
di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
N. Sebanz
Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
S. Rubichi (&)
Dipartimento di Comunicazione e Economia,
Universita
`
di Modena e Reggio Emilia,
Via Allegri, 9, 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy
e-mail: rubichi@unimore.it
123
Exp Brain Res (2011) 211:415–422
DOI 10.1007/s00221-011-2679-y