Phychological foundations of second language acquisition

Phychological foundations of second language acquisition

1. Psychologists and psycholingiustists highlight the cognitive processes involved in acquisition and how the languages are represented in the brian

   • MOTOR THEORY OF LATERALIZATION
     • LEFT HEMISPHERE; CONTROLS FINE MOVEMENTS SUCH AS THOSE REQUIRED TO PRODUCE SPEECH
   • Regions that are critical for language
     • BROCA´S AREA
       • Motor functions associated with speech poduction
     • Wernicke´s area
       • Resposable for the understanding of language
   • cortical areas link this system with regions responsible for conceptualization
     • Motor areas: mrimary motor cortex, motor assocated area, forntal eye field
     • Prefrontal cortex: Brocas area
     • sensory areas and related association areas; primary somatosensory areas cortex, sensoruy association area, Wenicke´s area
     • general interpretation area; primary visual cortex, visual association area, primary auditory cortex, auditory association area.

2. The Languages brain

   • lateral sulcus:
   • Wernicjes area
   • Arcuate fasciculus, IT CONNECTS WERNICKES AND BROCAS AREA
   • Broca´s area
   • FOR THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE. LAMNGUAGE HAPPENS IN THE LEFT HALF, CORE LINGUISTIC PROCESSES ARE TYPICALLY HUOSED IN THE LEFT HEMISPHERE

3. HOW THE BRAIN PROCESSES THE LANGUAGE

   • HUMAN VOICE INPUT
     • Responded by temporal lobe
       • Sent to Wernicke´s area
         • interpreteted
           • voince and information is understood

4. INDIVIDUAL LEARNERS´DIFFERENCES

   • ROLE OF AGE
     • First language acquisition is influenced by the critical period. this is why the researchers say hat younger are probably more successful communitcative in an informal and natural context
   • the critical period hypothesis
     • Penfield and Roberts introduces the critical period hypothesis in 1959-1967, according to this hpohesis teh L2 acquisiton occurs around puberty, after this age. people seem to be relatively incapable of acquiring a second language.
   • Sex
     • MEN´S BRAIN MAY BE MORE ASYMETRICALLY ORGANIZED THAN WOMEN FOR SPEECH.
       • MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS IN THE LEXICON VERUSS THE GRAMMAR; MALES APPEA TO BE BETTER AT COMPUTING COMPOSITIONAL RULES
     • WOMN OUT PERFORM MEN IN SOME TESTS OFD VERBAL FLUENCY.
       • MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS IN THE LEXICON VS GRAMMAR: FEMALES SEEM TO BEBETTER AT MEMORIZING COMPLEX FORMS.

5. MOTIVATION

   • INTRINSIC
     • IT FOCUSES ON INTERNAL FACTORS. IS DEFINED AS A DESIRED TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE IT IS ENJOYABLE, INTERESTING
       • PERCEPTIONS OF THE TEACHER´S COMMUNICATIVE STYLE WERE CONNECTED TO INTRINCIC MOTIVATION
   • EXTRINSIC
     • INVOLVES A PERCEPTION OF PURELY PRACTICAL VALUE IN LEARNING, AS INCREASING OCCUPATIONAL, OPPORTUNITIES, PRESTIGE AND POWER.