Chapter 1. Second language task complexity, the Cognition Hypothesis, language learning, and performance
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Peter Robinson
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of pedagogic and theoretical issues that have motivated recent research into second language task complexity. The first two sections describe how procedures for task analysis, and decisions about task complexity, can be accommodated in task-based language teaching program design. The third section describes a componential framework for analysing task demands. This framework distinguishes between cognitive factors contributing to Task Complexity, interactive factors involved in performing tasks under various Task Conditions, and the learner factors affecting perceptions of Task Difficulty. The fourth section describes five ancillary predictions the Cognition Hypothesis makes about how increasing task complexity leads to measurable increases in task-based learning and performance. The final sections describe how studies of these predictions have typically been measured, to date, and a rationale for investigating the effects on task-based learning of individual differences in learners’ cognitive abilities and affective dispositions. The chapter concludes by briefly summarising the organization of the chapters in this book and the empirical findings they report.
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of pedagogic and theoretical issues that have motivated recent research into second language task complexity. The first two sections describe how procedures for task analysis, and decisions about task complexity, can be accommodated in task-based language teaching program design. The third section describes a componential framework for analysing task demands. This framework distinguishes between cognitive factors contributing to Task Complexity, interactive factors involved in performing tasks under various Task Conditions, and the learner factors affecting perceptions of Task Difficulty. The fourth section describes five ancillary predictions the Cognition Hypothesis makes about how increasing task complexity leads to measurable increases in task-based learning and performance. The final sections describe how studies of these predictions have typically been measured, to date, and a rationale for investigating the effects on task-based learning of individual differences in learners’ cognitive abilities and affective dispositions. The chapter concludes by briefly summarising the organization of the chapters in this book and the empirical findings they report.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Series editors’ preface to Volume 2 xi
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Part 1. Cognition, task complexity, language learning, and performance
- Chapter 1. Second language task complexity, the Cognition Hypothesis, language learning, and performance 3
- Chapter 2. Speech production and the Cognition Hypothesis 39
- Chapter 3. Corpus-driven methods for assessing accuracy in learner production 61
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Part 2. Researching the effects of task complexity across task types and modes of L2 performance
- Chapter 4. Task complexity and linguistic performance in L2 writing and speaking 91
- Chapter 5. Manipulating task complexity across task types and modes 105
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Part 3. Researching the effects of task complexity on L2 interaction, modified output, and uptake
- Chapter 6. Effects of task complexity and interaction on L2 performance 141
- Chapter 7. Task complexity, modified output, and L2 development in learner–learner interaction 175
- Chapter 8. Task complexity, uptake of recasts, and L2 development 203
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Part 4. Researching the influence of learner characteristics and perceptions on simple and complex L2 task performance
- Chapter 9. When individual differences come into play 239
- Chapter 10. Working memory capacity and narrative task performance 267
- Chapter 11. Task complexity, language anxiety, and the development of the simple past 287
- Chapter 12. Examining the influence of intentional reasoning demands on learner perceptions of task difficulty and L2 monologic speech 307
- Author index 331
- Subject index 337
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Series editors’ preface to Volume 2 xi
-
Part 1. Cognition, task complexity, language learning, and performance
- Chapter 1. Second language task complexity, the Cognition Hypothesis, language learning, and performance 3
- Chapter 2. Speech production and the Cognition Hypothesis 39
- Chapter 3. Corpus-driven methods for assessing accuracy in learner production 61
-
Part 2. Researching the effects of task complexity across task types and modes of L2 performance
- Chapter 4. Task complexity and linguistic performance in L2 writing and speaking 91
- Chapter 5. Manipulating task complexity across task types and modes 105
-
Part 3. Researching the effects of task complexity on L2 interaction, modified output, and uptake
- Chapter 6. Effects of task complexity and interaction on L2 performance 141
- Chapter 7. Task complexity, modified output, and L2 development in learner–learner interaction 175
- Chapter 8. Task complexity, uptake of recasts, and L2 development 203
-
Part 4. Researching the influence of learner characteristics and perceptions on simple and complex L2 task performance
- Chapter 9. When individual differences come into play 239
- Chapter 10. Working memory capacity and narrative task performance 267
- Chapter 11. Task complexity, language anxiety, and the development of the simple past 287
- Chapter 12. Examining the influence of intentional reasoning demands on learner perceptions of task difficulty and L2 monologic speech 307
- Author index 331
- Subject index 337
