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Cited by 629EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningSecond Language Acquisition and LearningNeurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

Attending to Form and Content in the Input: An Experiment in Consciousness

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VanPatten, Bill·1990·Studies in Second Language Acquisition
DOI 10.1017/s0272263100009177
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Abstract

This study explores the question of whether or not learners can consciously attend to both form and meaning when processing input. An experimental procedure is presented in which three levels of learners in four groups were asked to process information under four different conditions: attention to meaning alone; simultaneous attention to meaning and an important lexical item; simultaneous attention to meaning and a grammatical functor; and simultaneous attention to meaning and a verb form. Results suggest that learners, in particular early stage learners, have great difficulty in attending to both form and content. These results raise important questions for current discussions of the role of consciousness in input processing.

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1 of 1 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • L2 learners, especially adult learners, struggle in acquiring features that are non-salient in input.

    “Research suggests that L2 learners, especially adult learners, struggle in acquiring features that are non-salient in input (e.g.VanPatten 1990VanPatten , 2017a)).”

    From Interaction and instructed second language acquisition (2018) · cites this paper as VanPatten 1990

  • Especially when learners' proficiency is weak, the difficulty experienced in decoding and encoding for meaning may inhibit attention to form.

    “Especially when learners' proficiency is weak, the difficulty experienced in decoding and encoding for meaning may inhibit attention to form (see VanPatten, 1990).”

    From Focus on form: A critical review (2016) · cites this paper as VanPatten, 1990

Cites

  • The Role of Consciousness in Second Language Learning1

    SCHMIDT, R. W. (1990) · Applied Linguistics · doi:10.1093/applin/11.2.129 · Cited by 4,910 · cited 3× · see citing works

    “We should caution here, however, that this study and the observations made by Swain, Schmidt, and VanPatten seem largely directed only at the processing of grammatical morphology in the input. What of syntax? Can and do learners consciously register such things as a moved noun phrase, non-canonical word order, and oth…”
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Authors
VanPatten, B.
Affiliations
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
Corresponding author
VanPatten, Bill
Venue
Studies in Second Language Acquisition
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
1990-09
Volume
12
Issue
3
Pages
287-301
ISSN
  • 0272-2631 (ISSN-L)
  • 1470-1545
DOI
10.1017/s0272263100009177
OpenAlex
W2105804615
Cited by
629
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 27
FWCI
40.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 6642 d)
Locations
Studies in Second Language Acquisition (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
input processing, attention to form, lexical items, verb forms, second language acquisition

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