Cognitive Influences on Language Learning

Cognitive Influences on Language Learning

1. Intelligence or the “G” Factor. Does intelligence influence SLA?

   • Multiple Intelligence Theory by Gardner. vs IQ TESTs to measure Logico-Mathematical and Linguistic abilities. None of them are conclusive.
   • *Intelligence seems to be a strong factor when instruction in language learning is formal, but less important when there is a less formal instruction.

2. Language learning

   • Aptitude is the natural ability which we have to learn languages, and it is a composite which consists of different characteristics.
   • Skehan (1989) states that “aptitude is consistently the most successful predictor of language learning success.” *Aptitude could be developed by training in some of its elements according to learners´ characteristics.
   • Carroll and Sapon´s MLAT proposed to measure: Phonemic or phonetic coding ability, grammatical sensitivity, inductive language learning ability, and rote learning ability.
   • Krashen believed that aptitude should be also measured by the ability to communicate meaning. *Aptitude is an unmodified variable. It is not trainable.

3. Cognitive Style. It refers to how learners perceive, monitor, conceptualize and recall linguistic information.

   • Brown mentions a reletion between affect and cognition, and he categorized it in: Reflective-impulsive thinking , broad-narrow categorization, skeletonizing-embroidering, and belief congruence-contradiction.
   • Witkin states a dual dimension of cognition: Field dependence / Field independence. This is how individuals perceive and organize the world.
     • *Field dependent individuals are person oriented, interested in other people and sensitive to them. *Field independent individuals are more impersonal and detached, less sensitive and more aloof. They are cerebral and object oriented.
   • Reid mentions other types or modalities of learning styles: visual learning, auditory learning, kinesthetic learning, and tactile learning.

4. Learning Strategies. They are the steps taken by the learner to aid the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information.

   • Cognitive strategies, memory strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, social strategies, affective strategies, communication strategies.
   • Communicative strategies: Reduction and achievement strategies
   • In Strategy Training students can be trained to learn and keep learning. In Out-of-class learning strategies: Students can learn to be autonomous at a certain degree in language learning in order to keep learning outside of the classroom as well.