Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the emerging interface of psychology and second language acquisition (SLA). It begins with a discussion of the linguistic dominance of the field of SLA in the past, then describes the growing influence of psychology in the present, with a special emphasis on examining why psychology is more suited to the study of language development than traditional linguistics. It will be argued that while the ideal solution for researching the acquisition of a second language would be a balanced integration of psychological and linguistic expertise, such an ideal scenario poses a number of serious challenges for the future. The paper is concluded by proposing a research agenda for develo** a fine-tuned taxonomy of optimal patterns of explicit-implicit cooperation in the learning of a second language, thereby integrating declarative and procedural knowledge.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Hoorie, A. H., & MacIntyre, P. D. (Eds.). (2020). Contemporary language motivation theory: 60 years since Gardner and Lambert (1959). Multilingual Matters.
Anderson, J. R. (2000). Cognitive psychology and its implications (5th ed.). Worth.
Csizér, K., & Magid, M. (Eds.). (2014). The impact of self-concept on language learning. Multilingual Matters.
DeKeyser, R. M. (2014). Skill acquisition theory. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 94–112). Routledge.
DeKeyser, R. M. (Ed.). (2007). Practice in second language: Perspectives from applied linguistics and cognitive psychology. Cambridge University Press.
DeKeyser, R., & Juffs, A. (2005). Cognitive considerations in L2 learning. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 437–454). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The psychology of second language acquisition. Oxford University Press.
Dörnyei, Z. (2019). From integrative motivation to directed motivational currents: The evolution of the understanding of L2 motivation over three decades. In M. Lamb, K. Csizér, A. Henry, & S. Ryan (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of motivation for language learning (pp. 39–69). Palgrave.
Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S. (2015). The psychology of the language learner revisited. Routledge.
Ellis, N. C. (2005). At the interface: Dynamic interactions of explicit and implicit language knowledge. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27, 305–352.
Ellis, N. C. (2008). Usage-based and form-focused language acquisition: The associative learning of constructions, learned-attention, and the limited L2 endstate. In N. C. Ellis & P. Robinson (Eds.), Handbook of cognitive linguistics and second language acquisition (pp. 372–405). Routledge.
Ellis, N. C. (2011). Implicit and explicit SLA and their interface. In C. Sanz & R. P. Leow (Eds.), Implicit and explicit language learning: Conditions, processes, and knowledge in SLA and bilingualism (pp. 35–48). Georgetown University Press.
Ellis, N. C. (2019). Essentials of a theory of language cognition. Modern Language Journal, 103(Supplement 2019), 39–60.
Gardner, R. C., & Lambert, W. E. (1959). Motivational variables in second language acquisition. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 13, 266–272.
Gardner, R. C., & Lambert, W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Newbury House.
Hulstijn, J. H. (2002). Towards a unified account of the representation, processing and acquisition of second language knowledge. Second Language Research, 18(3), 193–223.
Hulstijn, J. H. (2007). Psycholinguistic perspectives on language and its acquisition. In J. Cummins & C. Davison (Eds.), International handbook of English language teaching (Vol. 2, pp. 783–795). Springer.
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2006). How languages are learned (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
MacWhinney, B., & Pléh, C. (1988). The processing of restrictive relative clauses in Hungarian. Cognition, 29, 95–141.
MacWhinney, B., & Pléh, C. (1997). Double agreement: Role identification in Hungarian. Language and Cognitive Processes, 12(1), 67–102.
MacWhinney, B., Pléh, C., & Bates, E. (1985). The development of sentence interpretation in Hungarian. Cognitive Psychology, 17, 178–209.
Mercer, S., Ryan, S., & Williams, M. (Eds.). (2012). Psychology for language learning: Insights from research, theory & practice. Palgrave MacMillan.
Pléh, C. (2019). The inspirational role of Chomsky in the cognitive turn of psychology. Acta Linguistica Academica, 66(3), 397–428.
Pléh, C., Gurova, L., & Ropolyi, L. (Eds.). (2013). New perspectives on the history of cognitive science. Akadémia Kiadó.
Reber, A. S. (1967). Implicit learning of artificial grammars. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 5, 855–863.
Rebuschat, P. (Ed.). (2015). Implicit and explicit learning of languages. John Benjamins.
Sabourin, L. (Ed.) (2009). Neuroimaging and research into second language acquisition. Special Issue. Second Language Research, 25(1).
Schmidt, R. W. (1994). Implicit learning and the cognitive unconscious: Of artificial grammars and SLA. In N. Ellis (Ed.), Implicit and explicit learning of languages (pp. 165–209). Academic Press.
Ullman, M. T. (2014). The declarative/procedural model: A neurobiologically motivated theory of first and second language. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 135–158). Routledge.
White, L. (2014). Linguistic theory, Universal Grammar, and second language acquisition. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 34–53). Routledge.
Williams, M., & Burden, R. (1997). Psychology for language teachers. Cambridge University Press.
Williams, M., Mercer, S., & Ryan, S. (2016). Exploring psychology for language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dörnyei, Z. (2022). The Interface of Psychology and Second Language Acquisition. In: Gervain, J., Csibra, G., Kovács, K. (eds) A Life in Cognition. Language, Cognition, and Mind, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66175-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66175-5_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-66174-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-66175-5
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)