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Cited by 1,322EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningSecond Language Acquisition and LearningNeurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

The DOI matches its Crossref record.

“Attention,”

Schmidt, Richard·2001·Cognition and Second Language Instruction
DOI 10.1017/cbo9781139524780.003
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Abstract

Introduction The essential claim of this chapter is that the concept of attention is necessary in order to understand virtually every aspect of second language acquisition (SLA), including the development of interlanguages (ILs) over time, variation within IL at particular points in time, the development of L2 influency, the role of individual differences such as motivation, aptitude and learning strategies in L2 learning, and the ways in which interaction, negotiation for meaning, and all forms of instruction contribute to language learning. The theoretical issues dealt with in this chapter are organized around the basic assumptions, definitions, and metaphors concerning attention in psychology and include the idea of attention as a limited capacity, the notion of selective attention, and the role of attention in action control, access to awareness, and learning. It turns out that, like most psychological concepts initially based on common experience, attention is not a unitary phenomenon, but refers to a variety of mechanisms. These include alertness, orientation, preconscious registration (detection without awareness), selection (detection with awareness within selective attention), facilitation, and inhibition. This does not diminish the centrality of attention, in its several manifestations, for learning. Although recent evidence, discussed towards the end of this chapter, indicates the possibility of some unattended learning, this appears limited in scope and relevance for SLA. There is no doubt that attended learning is far superior, and for all practical purposes, attention is necessary for all aspects of L2 learning.

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Metadata

Authors
Schmidt, R.
Corresponding author
Schmidt, Richard
ORCID
Schmidt, Richard
Venue
Cognition and Second Language Instruction
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Published
2001-11-29
Pages
3-32
DOI
10.1017/cbo9781139524780.003
OpenAlex
W1573000476
Cited by
1,322
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 90 · 2025: 106 · 2024: 88 · 2023: 88 · 2022: 70 · 2021: 85 · 2020: 61 · 2019: 111 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 55 · 2016: 69 · 2015: 84 · 2014: 71 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 59
FWCI
34.14
Type
book chapter
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 3963 d)
Locations
Cambridge University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Keywords
attention, second language acquisition, interlanguage development, selective attention, limited capacity, alertness, orientation, facilitation, inhibition, individual differences in language learning, motivation, aptitude, learning strategies, interaction in language learning, negotiation of meaning

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