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Applying Rules and Standards Accurately: Indeterminacy and Transfer Among Adult Learners
Author(s) -
Kahn Joshua D.,
Girvan Erik J.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
human resource development quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1532-1096
pISSN - 1044-8004
DOI - 10.1002/hrdq.21259
Subject(s) - indeterminacy (philosophy) , extant taxon , ambiguity , neglect , construct (python library) , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , cognitive psychology , social psychology , epistemology , computer science , philosophy , evolutionary biology , psychiatry , biology , programming language
This article introduces the construct of indeterminacy and describes its effects on transfer in adult education. Indeterminacy is characterized as a type of stimulus‐response relationship in which the stimulus evokes a response that requires secondary and/or ongoing judgments as opposed to evoking a concrete, predetermined response. Following a brief overview of research on transfer in which we highlight the neglect of a systematic study of the construct, we review extant literature from different disciplines in which indeterminacy has been recognized as playing an important role. During this process, we distinguish it from uncertainty and ambiguity. Based on the review, we hypothesize and provide empirical evidence suggesting that indeterminacy diminishes transfer. On this basis, we argue that understanding, measuring, and controlling indeterminacy is important for the study and design of effective adult education programs.