Cognitive influences on Language Learning

Cognitive influences on Language Learning

1. All conditions, strategies or processes learners have acces to while learning a foreign language (IEXPRO, 2020, p.5)

   • There are 4 factors related , two of them are:
     • INTELLIGENCE OR "G" FACTOR
       • GARDENER 1985
         • Claimed the existence of MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
           • Logico-mathematic/ Linguistic/ Spatial/ Musical/ Bodily-Kinesthetic/ Interpersonal/ Intrapersonal/ Naturalistic/ Spiritual.
       • It is present in all learners
         • Measured by IQ tests
       • Represents an important factor in SLA (under formal instruction)
       • GENESEE (1976) & EKSTRAND (1977) show that:
         • Intelligence may influence acquisition of some L2 skills
           • Reading, writing,, language analysis and vocabulary study.
         • Oral fluency and skills are less likely influenced by intelligence
     • APTITUDE
       • Natural ability people have to perform different actions, such as SLA.
         • CAROLL & SAPON
           • Created the Modern Language Aptitude Test
             • Identified 4 main components:
               • Phonetic/ Phonemic coding ability
               • Grammatical sensitivity
               • Inductive language learning ability
               • Rote learning ability
         • BIALSTOK, FROHLICH (1978), KRASHEN (1981) maintained that:
           • Aptitude can´t be trained as they consider it unmodifiable in SLA
         • SKEBA (1989) believed that:
           • Aptitude factor has to involve adapting classes according to the learners´characteristics (learner centered).
       • It´s different from intelligence

2. The other 2 factors related are also:

   • COGNITIVE STYLE
     • It is how learners perceive, "monitor, conceptualise and recalls linguistic information" (IEXPRO, 2020, p. 11)
       • BROWN (1973)
         • It is a combination of cognition and affect
           • Identified 4 variables:
             • Reflective-impulsive thinking.
             • Broad-narrow categorizing
             • Skeletonizing-embroidering
             • Belief congruence-contradiction
       • WITKIN (1962, 1971)
         • Designed a test (Group Embedded Test)
           • Used to identify and measure
             • Field dependent people
               • People who can´t difference between figures from the gorund (holistic view)
             • Field independent people
               • People capable to separate figuires from the ground & essential from inessential elements. (analytic view)
       • SKEHAN
         • Field dependent person: Person oriented, sensitive towards other people.
         • Field independent: Less sensitive, object oriented, cerebral.
       • REID (1987)
         • WILLING (1987)
           • OTHER LEARNING STYLES
             • Concrete, Analytic, Communicative, Authority-oriented.
         • OTHER LEARNIG TENDENCIES
           • Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Tactile.
   • LEARNING STRATEGIES
     • Techniques used by learners to acquire and learn an L2
       • Some features
         • Contribute to communicate, let learners be autonomous, can be taught, present in all learners, support learning, are often conscious and observable.
       • O´MALLEY (1985), ELLIS 1985), WENDEN & RUBIN (1987), WILLING (1988), OXFORD & CROOKHALL (1989)
         • Identified several learning strategies:
           • Cognitive
             • Ways to understand linguistic system.
           • Memory
             • Help to store information.
           • Compensation
             • Compensate for missing knowledge.
           • Metacognitive
             • Learning to learn.
           • Social
             • Social actions involved in learning process.
           • Affective
             • Learners´emotions & attitude towards the language.
           • Communication
             • Oral production.
       • Strategy training
         • Elements that could help teachers develop trough practices.
           • Can also happen OUT-OF-CLASS
             • The contact learners have with the L2, outside the classroom.

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