Cognitive Factors in Language Learning

Start with cognitive influences

A useful starting point is the mind map titled Cognitive influences on Language Learning that covers language aptitude, intelligence, cognitive style and learning strategies. Its branches give you several ideas to follow as you explore the topic. There are other maps with the same title, so look at their content as well as their names when choosing one.

Another map with that title focuses on aptitude and ways of measuring language abilities. Use it after the broader map to look more closely at grammatical, memory and analytical abilities, alongside the capacity to communicate meanings.

Follow related ideas

A map on cognitive influences examines abilities such as making associations between grammatical forms and meanings, recognizing grammatical features and inferring rules. Compare those branches with the aptitude map to see how the resources describe abilities involved in language learning.

The map titled Trainings lists artificial, semi-artificial and miniature languages, including Brocanto 2 and Japlish. It offers another route through the page for readers interested in the training examples listed there.

Explore approaches and learning

Other maps introduce cognitive approaches to third-language acquisition. Their excerpts mention psychological and generative or formal approaches, as well as cross-linguistic influence. A map on learning distinguishes implicit and explicit learning and describes ways instruction can draw attention to rules.

There are no quizzes listed on this topic page. Instead, use the mind map branches as prompts: explain an idea in your own words, then return to the map to check what it includes.

Place the topic in its unit

Cognitive Factors in Language Learning is a section of the Second Language Acquisition unit in Linguistics and philology. The page also lists a mind map titled Second Language Acquisition, which offers a way to connect this topic with the unit. Choose a map and trace a few branches at your own pace.