Positive and negative biasing sets: The effects of prior experience on research performance

摘要

The effect of prior experience on success in solving discrete problems was studied by comparing the behavior of eight laboratories in two R and D proposal competitions. The findings show that prior experience does not, by itself, influence the likelihood of achieving a correct solution. If the prior experience is limited to a technique which is appropriate to the present problem, successful solution is almost certain. But prior experience with a technique which is not appropriate usually results in an unsuccessful solution. In the latter case, if more than one alternative approach is considered the probability of achieving a successful solution is increased from 0 to 0.5.