A series of experiments was performed to examine the determinants of the rat pups' 1st excursions from the maternal nest into the novel environment outside the burrow. A standardized, nidic environment consisting of a maternal nest and adjoining open field was studied under a variety of structured test conditions. When the mother was outside the nest, pups readily ventured into the field. The early excursions were not stimulated by the mother's absence from the nest because when the mother was removed from the nest but not placed in the field the pups remained nestbound. Anesthetized dams elicited few excursions, suggesting that olfactory cues are less potent in this situation than behaviorally transmitted signals. Nonlactating adults were not attractive to pups but after induction of "maternal responsiveness" concaveated males facilitated egression. The data from a final experiment suggest that when in the nest, the dam stimulates egression by providing additional "permissive" stimuli that render the weanling more responsive to approach cues outside the nest.

Although learner reaction measures are increasingly shown to be insufficient indicators of training effectiveness and impact, they are still highly over-used in practice. New research on transfer of learning is contributing to a better understanding of how reaction measures may relate to important HRD outcomes. This study explored the relationship between learner utility reactions and predictors of learning transfer as operationalised in the Learning Transfer System Inventory. A limited correlation between participant reaction measures and predictors of learning transfer was found. However, the results of this study continue to raise questions about the role and value of reaction measures.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is determine what direct evidence is available that demonstrates the tangible benefit of learning transfer activities to improve the transfer of training. Further, this research creates an application framework for implementing the most effective solutions to increase the effectiveness of human resource development initiatives.Design/methodology/approachA targeted meta‐analysis process, focused on research that compared training alone with training plus transfer activities, is used. “Difference scores”, representing the percentage of improvement the transfer activities created over training alone, are computed.FindingsResults indicate that there are 11 specific learning transfer activities showing tangible impact and evidence of effectiveness. In total, 32 studies are found that made this type of comparison. While this may be too narrow to draw specific conclusions, it provides a good basis for development of a learning transfer framework.Research limitations/implicationsThe results indicate that there is a great need for more research that directly compares training alone with training plus transfer activities.Practical implicationsNonetheless, the research may help to simplify the complex models of learning transfer presented by others and provide a framework that is more likely to be implemented than previous frameworks and theories.Originality/valueThis is the first ever effort, according to the author, to assess the direct impact of learning transfer activities on performance improvement.

The importance of learning transfer in ensuring that learning contributes to an organization's competitive advantage has been undermined in organizational practice. There are two major reasons for this: 1) few studies directly explore the relationship between transfer and performance improvement, and 2) most existing transfer models are too complex for practitioners to implement. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the link between learning transfer activities and performance outcomes, and to create a framework for implementing an effective learning transfer solution. A targeted literature review meta-analysis was used to explore the performance impact of training vs. training plus transfer activities. The authors compute “difference scores” representing the percentage of improvement from the transfer activities over training alone. Activities are categorized into a framework of eleven critical learning transfer actions. They then implement the elements of the Learning Transfer Framework in three demonstration projects. By incorporating findings from the literature review, meta-analysis, and the demonstration projects, the authors propose a new transfer framework that is effective and easy to implement. Implications and directions for future researchers are advanced.

The preceding article (Clarke, 2010) examines an important and interesting question; that is, under what conditions can learning contribute to the development of emotional intelligence (EI)? Despite the controversy surrounding the definition and construct of EI, its prevalence for the human resources development (HRD) field and its implications for HRD professionals have been hard to deny. With the growing interest in EI, this research is both timely and valuable.Nafukho (2009), in a recent review of EI research, concluded that because HRD is a field that emphasizes learning to improve performance at individual, team, and organizational levels, it is imperative that HRD professionals understand how to develop EI to improve performance. However, he suggests that evidence of a link between EI development and performance improvement is tenuous at best, partly because ambiguities surround the definition of EI, and because of differences in how this construct is operationalized in the research. Although this study does not resolve the issues, it contributes to HRD literature in two primary ways. First, it sheds light on factors to consider when developing EI abilities through learning, and second, it provides evidence of the critical role that learning transfer can play in the development of EI.Overall, the article presents a literature review that is comprehensive without being exhaustive, and appropriately focuses on information pertaining to EI development through learning interventions. Although he acknowledges the multiple conceptualizations of EI as ability, competency, skill, or mixed models, Clarke appropriately narrows the focus to ability measures as the best-developed construct for studying EI. Following the literature review, the problem statements