Analysis of part-task training using the backward-transfer technique.

Researchers conducted 2 experiments that used backward transfer to improve the efficiency of part-task training for a desktop flight simulator. In Experiment 1, a part-task group showed positive transfer but did not perform as well as a whole-task group. Backward-transfer analysis indicated that only a subset of the component tasks was critical to the criterion task. In Experiment 2, a part-task training regime that used the critical component tasks was compared with a whole-task regime and a part-task regime composed of noncritical component tasks. Results indicated that the critical part-task regime was as effective as the whole-task regime, validating the utility of the backward-transfer technique.