George drives a stick-shift vehicle, but one day has to borrow his friend's car that is an automatic. Even though he knows it has an automatic transmission, George still finds himself reaching for the clutch to switch gears for at least the first hour of driving his friend's car. George's difficulty reflects:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

George's habit of reaching for the clutch is an example of proactive interference, where old habits or learned behaviors interfere with the recall or performance of new skills. In this case, his experience with manual transmission is interfering with his ability to adapt to an automatic transmission.

George Drives a Stick-Shift Vehicle, but One Day Has to Borrow