The Psychology of

Second Language
Acqusition
Group 6
Ainun Mardiah
Novita Sari
Roberta Alfrina
 Languages and The Brain
Principal communicative specializations
of L and R hemispheres suggested by L1
research reviewed in Obler and Gjerlow
(1999).

Principal Left Principal Right

Hemispheric Hemispheric
Specializations Specializations

Phonology Nonverbal (As babies’ cries )

Morphology Visuospasial Information

Syntax Intonation

Function words and Nonliteral meaning and

inflection ambiguity

Tone system Many pragmatic abilities

Much lexical knowledge Some lexical knowledge

 Learning Processes

1
Information
2
Processing (IP)
Connectionism
 Information Processing (IP)
Approaches based on IP are concerned with the mental processes
involved in language learning and use. (adapted from ; Skehan 1998)

Stages of Information Processing

Input Central processing Output
Perception Controlled–automatic processing Production
   
Declarative–procedural knowledge
   
Restructuring
Connectionism
(McCleland, Rumerlhart, and Hinton 1986)

Connectionism learning about mental processes such as

language usage, memorize, creativity solving, and thinking
patterns or focus on the increasing strength of associations
between stimuli and responses. It is related with study of
human cognition and behavior.
 Differences in Learners

Aptitude

Gender Personality

Cognitive
Age
Style

Motivation Learning
Strategies
 AGE

(e.g birdsong 1999; Scovel 2000; Singleton 2001 )

Age differences in SLA

Younger advantage Older advantage
Brain plasticity Learning capacity
Not analytical Analytic ability
Fewer inhibitions (usually) Pragmatic skills
Weaker group identity Greater knowledge of L1
Simplified input more likely Real-world knowledge
 GENDER

 Women out-perform men in some tests of

verbal fluency (Kimura 1992)
 Women’s brains may be less asymmetrically
organized than men’s for speech (Kimura 1992)
 Females are better at memorizing complex
forms ( Halpern 2000)
 Males are better at computing compsitional rules
( Halpern 2000)
 APTITUDE Associative memory
capacity determines
The capacity to process appropriate selection
auditory input into from among the L2
segments which can be elements that are
stored and retrieved Associativ stored, and ultimately
Phonemic determines speak- er
Coding e memory fluency.
Ability capacity

Is concered with
Account for further grammar sensitivity
processing of the Inductive and are both concered
segmented auditory Grammatica Language with central processing.
input by the brain to It’s in central
l Sensitivity Learning processing that
infer structure,
identify patterns, Ability restructuring occurs

(By Carroll 1965 )

 MOTIVATION
(see oxford and Ehrman 1993 ; Dornyei 2001 )

1
Significant goal or need
Desire to attain the goal
2

Perception that learning L2 is relevant to fulfilling the goal or

3 meeting the need

Belief in the likely success or failure of learning L2

4
Value of potential outcomes/rewards
5
 Cognitive Styles Personality
Researchers typically correlate individuals’ Speculation and research in SLA has included the following
ratings on different dimensions of cognitive style factors, also often characterized as endpoints on continua.
with various measures of L2 pro- ficiency.

Personality Traits
Cognitive Styles
Anxious — Self-confident
Risk-avoiding — Risk-taking
Field-
Field-dependent — Shy — Adventuresome
independent
Introverted — Extroverted
Global — Particular
Inner-directed — Other-directed
Reflective — Impulsive
Holistic — Analytic
Imaginative — Uninquisitive

Deductive — Inductive Creative — Uncreative

Empathetic — Insensitive to others
Focus on
Focus on meaning —
form Tolerant of ambiguity — Closure-oriented
 Learning Strategies
A typology of language learning strategies which is widely was formulated
by O’Mally and Chamot (Chamot 1987):

• Metacognitive : e.g. previewing a concept or principle in anticipation of a

learning activity; deciding in advance to attend to specific aspects of input;
rehearsing linguistic components which will be required for an upcoming
language task; self-monitoring of progress and knowledge states.
• Cognitive e.g. repeating after a language model; translating from L1;
remembering a new word in L2 by relating it to one that sounds the same in
L1, or by creating vivid images; guessing meanings of new material through
inferencing.
• Social /affective : e.g. seeking opportunities to interact with native speakers;
working cooperatively with peers to obtain feedback or poolinformation;
asking questions to obtain clarification; requesting repetition, explanation, or
examples.
 Cognitive and
Bilingual children
metalinguistic
show consistent advantages appear in
advantages in bilingual situations
tasks of both that involve
verbal and systematic uses of
nonverbal the two languages
abilities. The Effects
of Multilingualism
Diaz and Klingler Cognitive effects of
Bilingual children bilingualism appear
show advanced 1991:184 relatively early in the
metalinguistic process of becoming
abilities, especially bilingual and do not
manifested in their require high levels of
bilingual proficiency
control of language
nor the achievement of
processing. balanced bilingualism
 Bilingual individuals is that
they have fewer vocabulary
treasures in every language
they have
The Effects Active all mastered
of Multilingualism languages ​simultaneously
make bilingual individual's
brain work harder.
 Conclussion
Language learning based in the left brain, but the raight brian is identical with crearivity.
Much peole use the left brain because not everyone has expertise in the particular field.

Psychology provides us with two major frameworks for the focus on learn- ing processes:
Information Processing (IP) and Connectionism. Approaches based on IP are concerned with
the mental processes involved in language learning and use. Connectionism has received
widespread attention as a model for first and second language acquisition only since the 1980s.
 
We considered the basic question of why some L2 learners are more successful than others
from a linguistic perspective. The differences we explore here are age, gendre, aptitude,
motivation, cognitive style, personality, and learning strategies