Negative Induction: Definition, History, and Characteristics
Negative induction is a process in which a person or group learns something from the failure of something else. It is a type of learning that occurs when a person or group learns from the failure of a previous event, or from the failure of an individual or group to reach a desired goal. Negative induction can also refer to the process of transferring knowledge from one person or group to another. This type of learning has been used in a variety of contexts, from business and education to psychology and public policy.
History
The concept of negative induction was first introduced by the psychologist Albert Bandura in his 1977 book Social Learning Theory. Here, Bandura suggested that negative induction could be used to understand the behavior of individuals and groups. He argued that people learn from observing the consequences of others’ actions, and that this type of learning can be used to explain why certain behaviors persist or change over time.
Since then, the concept of negative induction has been used in a variety of contexts, including business, education, and psychology. For example, in education, negative induction has been used to understand why some students tend to learn more from failure than from success. In business, it has been used to explain why some organizations fail to capitalize on certain opportunities, while others are able to benefit from them. In psychology, it has been used to explain why some people have a tendency to avoid risky behavior, even when there is a potential for reward.
Characteristics
Negative induction has several key characteristics that make it distinct from other forms of learning. First, it is a form of learning that occurs when a person or group fails to reach a desired goal or when a previous event fails. This means that the person or group must be aware of the failure in order for negative induction to occur.
Second, negative induction is a form of transferable knowledge. This means that the knowledge acquired through negative induction can be applied to new contexts or situations. This makes it particularly useful in business and educational settings, where knowledge needs to be transferred from one person or group to another.
Finally, negative induction is often used to explain why certain behaviors persist or change over time. This means that negative induction can be used to understand why certain behaviors are more likely to persist in certain contexts or situations, or why certain behaviors are more likely to change in certain contexts or situations.
References
Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Chen, Y. J., & Silverman, S. B. (2011). Negative induction and the role of failure in learning. Educational Psychology Review, 23(4), 359–381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9159-2
Fryer Jr, R. G., & Levitt, S. D. (2004). Understanding the Black-White test score gap in the first two years of school. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 86(2), 447–464. https://doi.org/10.1162/0034653041502290
Gitomer, J. (2019). Negative induction: The power of failure. Journal of Business Strategy, 40(1), 62–72. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-03-2018-0030
Kearney, A. R., & Levine, P. B. (2009). The role of negative induction in organizational learning. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8(1), 100–109. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2009.38504727