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> The holy grail of learning how to learn may be to tinker with our own learning-reward conditioning so that we literally become addicted to learning. Bolded i

> The holy grail of learning how to learn may be to tinker with our own learning-reward conditioning so that we literally become addicted to learning. Bolded in the article and I strongly disagree. This is how you become a learning addict [0], racking up successes that can be explained in LinkedIn headlines (first line of code to Google in 8 months, PhD) over things that are maybe more meaningful to you. I can’t put a holy grail of learning into a few words. I’d say being able to quickly pick up skills to proficiency that are useful to yourself and others is big. Being able to become exceptionally great is important (I’m not as good at this one). Knowing what to learn, what to not learn and when to stop are all critical as well. Maybe my favorite is developing a knack for transference, so your experiences don’t weigh you down (interference) but always help you. [0] That’s a tautology, but it’s true because tautologies are always true.

mansoon 4y ago
This might just be my personality disorders talking, but nothing is inherently meaningful.
- travisjungroth 4y ago
  I already have hedges on both sides of the word by saying “maybe more meaningful to you”. I’d put another hedge above and below, but that would look weird.
gausswho 4y ago
Can you elaborate on transference/interference there? I'm familiar with it in the context of therapy, but I think you're talking about something somewhat different.
- travisjungroth 4y ago
  I think it’s pretty different from therapy. Interference is when something you’ve learned before gets in the way. I drove a three wheeled mototaxi this week and nearly crashed the thing because I instinctually drove it like a motorcycle. Transference is when something you’ve learned helps. My time checking gear when climbing trees helped when I started scuba diving. These are the definitions I remember from studying for the FAA Fundamentals of Instruction exam one night 10 years ago, so maybe double check if you want to know more. Edit: and to try to add something besides the definitions. Interference is best avoided consciously. If I thought “how is this different from a motorcycle?” I would have known to avoid countersteering. Transference is best done unconsciously. Wait to say “this is just like X” until you actually get the hang of it. You’ll run into interference otherwise. Better to sort of have it be like you’re some gifted natural when you actually just have done something with good overlap before. Don’t act like you already know it. Just let yourself learn fast.
  - gausswho 4y ago
    That's very different theory than what I was anticipating. I feel that I have internalized a similar concept in my learning from a very young age. It intuitively makes sense, but can be easy to slip out of particularly if I'm not in an optimal mood. My inconsistency might be mitigated from a deeper reflection around a framework on when to recognize that we might be in interference with ourselves. Scuba is one I have some experience with and can relate to, but I think can serve as both a good example and a counter-example. It is an area where meticulous review of your conditions before getting in the water is crucial. Your intuitions from other pursuits overlap with these checks, but they can also lead you dangerously astray in uncommon situations (nitrogen narcosis, disorientation, and other ways where our instincts above the surface are orthogonal to what happens under water). How do we determine when our transference can unconsciously be relied upon? I'd like to learn more if have any further resources on it.
    - travisjungroth 4y ago
      This article isn’t explicitly about that but it overlaps: https://commoncog.com/tacit-knowledge-is-a-real-thing/ https://commoncog.com/tacit-knowledge-is-a-real-thing/ HN convo: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29531947 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29531947 Here’s the FAA’s Aviation Instructor’s Handbook. It’s not peak pedagogy but I liked it. https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/aviation_instructors_handbook https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/a... The Gleim FOI test prep would be a condensed version. You could probably get an old version dirt cheap. https://www.gleimaviation.com/shop/foi/ https://www.gleimaviation.com/shop/foi/
      - gausswho 4y ago
        These are great stepping stones, thank you!

mansoon 4y ago

This might just be my personality disorders talking, but nothing is inherently meaningful.

travisjungroth 4y ago
I already have hedges on both sides of the word by saying “maybe more meaningful to you”. I’d put another hedge above and below, but that would look weird.

gausswho 4y ago

Can you elaborate on transference/interference there? I'm familiar with it in the context of therapy, but I think you're talking about something somewhat different.

travisjungroth 4y ago
I think it’s pretty different from therapy. Interference is when something you’ve learned before gets in the way. I drove a three wheeled mototaxi this week and nearly crashed the thing because I instinctually drove it like a motorcycle. Transference is when something you’ve learned helps. My time checking gear when climbing trees helped when I started scuba diving. These are the definitions I remember from studying for the FAA Fundamentals of Instruction exam one night 10 years ago, so maybe double check if you want to know more. Edit: and to try to add something besides the definitions. Interference is best avoided consciously. If I thought “how is this different from a motorcycle?” I would have known to avoid countersteering. Transference is best done unconsciously. Wait to say “this is just like X” until you actually get the hang of it. You’ll run into interference otherwise. Better to sort of have it be like you’re some gifted natural when you actually just have done something with good overlap before. Don’t act like you already know it. Just let yourself learn fast.
- gausswho 4y ago
  That's very different theory than what I was anticipating. I feel that I have internalized a similar concept in my learning from a very young age. It intuitively makes sense, but can be easy to slip out of particularly if I'm not in an optimal mood. My inconsistency might be mitigated from a deeper reflection around a framework on when to recognize that we might be in interference with ourselves. Scuba is one I have some experience with and can relate to, but I think can serve as both a good example and a counter-example. It is an area where meticulous review of your conditions before getting in the water is crucial. Your intuitions from other pursuits overlap with these checks, but they can also lead you dangerously astray in uncommon situations (nitrogen narcosis, disorientation, and other ways where our instincts above the surface are orthogonal to what happens under water). How do we determine when our transference can unconsciously be relied upon? I'd like to learn more if have any further resources on it.
  - travisjungroth 4y ago
    This article isn’t explicitly about that but it overlaps: https://commoncog.com/tacit-knowledge-is-a-real-thing/ https://commoncog.com/tacit-knowledge-is-a-real-thing/ HN convo: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29531947 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29531947 Here’s the FAA’s Aviation Instructor’s Handbook. It’s not peak pedagogy but I liked it. https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/aviation_instructors_handbook https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/a... The Gleim FOI test prep would be a condensed version. You could probably get an old version dirt cheap. https://www.gleimaviation.com/shop/foi/ https://www.gleimaviation.com/shop/foi/
    - gausswho 4y ago
      These are great stepping stones, thank you!