SLA Theories: Behaviourist, Cognitivist, Interactionist

A. Behaviourist Theories (Pavlov, Skinner)

The learner is a kind of white sheet of paper on which the teacher writes. Behaviourists did not take into account the learner's previous knowledge.

They focus on learning as a process in which rewards and punishment are taken into account: these can be approached as kinds of stimuli that exert effects on the behaviour of the individual.

The mind is considered a black box. A behaviourist would say that it is impossible to have access to what occurs within the mind of the individual.

The study of the human mind is relatively recent and goes hand in hand with the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The computer is thought to resemble or simulate the way the human mind works: short-term vs. long-term memory, ...

A basic relationship between stimulus (pl: stimuli) and response is established. However, what went on in the mind between the stimulus and the response was either unknown or neglected. Stimuli and responses were observable data or facts; they could be perceived.

B. Cognitivist, Cognitive or Mentalist Theories

In contrast, these theories focus on the idea that, in order to learn, the individual needs to rely on or have recourse to internal cognitive mechanisms and processes. The individual may infer, process, analyse, connect or establish relationships between ideas, synthesise, and so on.

• Contrary to behaviourist claims, even though individuals (and more specifically learners) may be provided with the same input, they may still produce very different responses (or output).

Interactionist Theories

• These theories highlight the importance of communication and interaction in the process of SLA.
• For these theories, both internal and external factors are important in the process of SLA.
• As a result, learning and the acquisition of the L2 arise from a complex interaction or combination of both external and internal factors.

The Study of Learner Discourse: Objectives

The study of learner discourse has two main objectives or goals:

1. Attempt to trace how the language learner acquires the conventions and rules that govern discourse production by native speakers of the L2 (acquisition of discourse rules by learners).
2. Examine how interaction or communication shapes or influences interlanguage development and the L2 acquisition process.