PSYCHOLINGUISTIC THEORIES

PSYCHOLINGUISTIC THEORIES

1. RATIONALIST THEORIES

   • Cognitive standpoint
     • INNATISM
       • Main features
         • the language acquisition as a creative construction process in which we create hypothesis about the language out of the linguistic input we receive through exposure
         • "Language Acquisition Device" is triggered when children are exposed to input in a determined language
         • It emphasises the role of Universal Grammar and the biological predisposition for language acquisition
           • Universal Grammar
             • suggest that all humans have an innate ability to learn language and that there are universal principles that underlie all languages
             • The importance of teaching grammar in a way that reflect the underlying principles of languages
             • This is connected to the Critical Period Hypothesis
       • Impact on EFL students / speakers
         • there may be universal linguistic principles that underlie language learning.
         • highlight the potencial for natural language acquisition
         • the importance of exposure to comprehensible input in language learning environment
       • Monitor's Model
         • The Acquisition vs. Learning Hypothesis
           • "Acquired system"
             • the acquisition comes into play when real communication occurs
           • "Learnt System"
             • learning acts a conscious controller of linguistic production
         • The Monitor Hypothesis
           • refers to the conscious knowledge and application of rules, developed through learning
           • it is a control mechanism which allows speakers correct their productions
             • need time
             • attention
             • knowledge about language
             • exposure to language to be self-corrected.
         • The Natural Order Hypothesis
           • This order is not contingent upon the exposure to language input or the instruction but more on the cognitive development stages.
           • This field intended to prove that the order of acquisition does not necessarily correspond to the order in which these items are taught.
         • The Input Hypothesis
           • Not all the data to which students are exposed can be considered input since there are other cognitive, emotional and physical which also affect input acquisition from outside.
         • The Affective Hypothesis
           • This claims that, for acquisition to take place, affective conditions must be optimal.
           • Can have effects on the use of monitor and on the hindrance of fluency in favour of accuracy because of the "overuse" of the monitor
     • COGNITIVISM
       • Main features
         • Focuses on the mental processes involved in language learning including....
           • memory
           • information processing
           • problem solving, etc.
         • considered a multidisciplinary science
         • Language learning as an internal process
           • involves the active and continuous modification of knowledge schemata in learner's brain
           • This process includes the building, ordering and restructuring of knowledge through cognitive mechanism
             • "assimilation"
             • accommodation
       • Impact on EFL students/speakers
         • Linguistic competent
           • practice some subskills
           • internalise this knowledge in their brains through mental representations
         • Individual learning strategies
         • Mental structures
     • Language acquisition is general learning process and based on cognitive abilities like...
       • Perception
       • Memory
       • Problem solving
       • Processing of information
   • Social Standpoint
     • Interactionism
       • "Social Constructivism" or "Sociacultural Theory"
       • Main features
         • Language learning can only take palace by the simple association of stimulus-response-reinforcement
         • Language acquisition is integrative process in which the innate readiness interacts with the language input that the learner encounters through every social interaction
         • It intends to conjugate both innate and environmental variables
           • Not all the learners are the same
           • The learning contexts are different
             • These contextual conditions affects
               • Students' personal perception
               • Language production
         • Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
           • is the distance between
             • the actual level of development of learners
               • what they can do independently
             • the level of potential development
               • where we want learners to get
           • for effective communication and learning to occur
             • "mediators" which are instruments or tools
       • Impact on EFL students/ speakers
         • it is not just providing input is making this input comprehensible
         • Awareness of the student's stage from a pedagogical perspective and adapt their discourse accordingly
           • focusing on form and correction of output
           • provide interactive modifications, questions,...
     • Environmentalism
       • Main features
         • concentrates on the contextual dimension and the affective dimension to explain and aid the acquisition of languages.
         • Pidgnization / Acculturation Models
           • can promote or hamper the acquisition of L2s/FLs
           • explore the initial language development stages of L2/FL learners, particularly in the context of migration and adaptation to a new linguistic and cultural environment
           • Present a simplified code with simple structures, often combining features of multiple languages
         • Creole Languages
           • can emerge from pidgin languages
           • can develop into more complex system with extensive lexicons and morpho-syntactic structure
       • Impact on EFL students /speakers
         • Predicting Learning Success
           • learners' perceptions of the target culture and their integration into it significantly influence in their progress
         • Acculturation and Language Learning
           • relationship between
             • progress of language development
             • affective, social and psychological factors
               • in the learner's environment
         • Contexts of Language Instruction
           • differences between
             • formal L2/FL instruction
             • natural language contexts
   • We are all born with an innate ability and brain structure to allocate, acquire and process language (s).

2. EMPIRICAL THEORIES

   • Behaviourism
     • Main features
       • focuses on observable behaviours and external stimuli.
       • It emphasises the role of conditioning, reinforcement and repetition in language learning
       • The language acquisition occurs through imitation, practice and habit formation.
     • Impact on EFL students/speakers
       • Audiolingual Method
         • emphasizes repetition, drills and pattern practice
         • For EFL students/speakers is the importance of practice, reinforcement and habit formation in language learning
       • Verbal Behaviour (Skinner, 1968)
         • extension of his general theory of learning by operant conditioning
         • Emphasises the role of reinforcement in language learning, proposing that language behaviour is controlled by its consequences
         • Focuses on the relationship between observable linguistic responses and the events in the surrounding environment.
   • The brain is blank slate (tabula rasa)

3. FOR THE CONTENT CURRICULUM AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION

   • The Balance Theory and The Iceberg Analogy
     • Separate Underlying Proficiency Model (SUP)
       • to symbolise the bilingual functioning as two separate and independent language system
         • Bilingual individuals have distinct and separate proficiency levels in each language
     • The Iceberg Analogy
       • represent the depth of language proficiency in bilingual individuals
   • The Critical Period hypothesis (CPH) and the Thesholds theory
     • Thresholds Theory (Cummins,1984) (Skutnabb-Kangas, 1981)
       • connection between cognitive development and degree of bilingualism
         • explained by
           • existence of three thresholds of language competence which may affect the acquisition of L2/FL contingent upon the actual learner's proficiency in their mother tongue
             • Limited bilingualism
               • negative cognitive effects on the development of bilingualism
             • Partial Bilingualism
               • does not affect neither positively or negatively
             • Proficient Bilingualism
               • beneficial effect on the bilingual development
     • CPH
       • suggests that the acquisition of languages had to take place before puberty for reaching full competence
       • If language learning does not occur within this critical period, it becomes more difficult to achieve native-like proficiency
   • The Development interdependence hypothesis (Jim Cummins, 2000)
     • surface fluency
       • above
         • comprehension
         • speaking
       • underneath
         • analysis
         • synthesis
     • evolved skills
       • above
         • pronunciation
         • vocabulary
         • grammar
       • below
         • meaning and creative composition
     • distinguish between
       • Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
         • refers to the skills required for simple everyday interactions
         • can be acquired within the first 2 years
       • Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)
         • more complex language skills necessary for academic and cognitive tasks
         • typically developed within five to seven years or more
   • Curriculum relevance theory
     • the importance of aligning educational content and learning experiences with students' prior knowledge, experiences and learning preferences
       • educators need to consider these factors when designing learning experiences and curriculum content
         • cognitively undemanding
         • context reduced
         • context embedded
         • cognitively demanding
     • Building Learning Experiences
       • involves creating learning activities that alternate between
         • cognitively demanding tasks
         • contextually supported activities based on the evolving needs of learners as they progress

4. INTERLANGUAGE

   • tends to find out what happens in the learners' brains to make sense and produce messages in the target language
   • Features and mechanisms
     • it has its own distinct rules, which can depend or not on the influence of the learners' mother tongue
     • it is internalized and developed based on their own language learning experiences and interactions
     • factos which are involved in its construction
       • input
       • intake
       • output
     • Each individuals solves communication situations differently and those strategies area product of
       • communication situation
       • personal / social features
       • mixture of all of them
       • Common aspects of those strategies
         • Simplification
         • Overgeneralisation
         • Transfer
         • Fossilisation
         • Creative construction
         • Permeability
         • Variability