Consciousness and Second Language Learning

by John Truscott

Overview

This book explores the place of consciousness in second language learning. It offers extensive background information on theories of consciousness and provides a detailed consideration of both the nature of consciousness and the cognitive context in which it appears. It presents the established Modular Online Growth and Use of Language (MOGUL) framework and explains the place of consciousness within this framework to enable a cognitively conceptualised understanding of consciousness in second language learning. It then applies this framework to fundamental concerns of second language acquisition, those of perception and memory, looking at how second language representations come to exist in the mind and what happens to these representations once they have been established (memory consolidation and restructuring).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783092659
Publisher:	Channel View Publications
Publication date:	11/13/2014
Series:	Second Language Acquisition , #83
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

John Truscott is a Professor in the Center for Teacher Education, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. His research interests include second language acquisition, cognitive science, linguistic theory and syntax and he has published extensively on these topics.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

1 Introduction: Setting the Problem 1

What this Book is About 1

This Thing Called Consciousness 3

A Few Preliminaries 9

Overview of the Book 11

Part 1 Consciousness in Mind: Building a Framework

2 The Mind: Representation and Processing 15

Perception 16

Memory and Learning 16

Emotion 19

Value 21

Self 24

Language 26

Attention 28

Modularity 30

Conclusion 37

3 Theories of Consciousness 38

Some Early Efforts at a Cognitive Account of Consciousness 38

Baars' Global Workspace Theory 42

Dehaene's Global Neuronal Workspace 47

Cooney and Gazzaniga's Account of Consciousness in Certain Neurological Disorders 48

Damasio's Body- and Self-oriented Theory 49

Edelman's Dynamic Core 51

Tononi's Information Integration Theory 53

Crick and Koch's Neurobiological Framework 54

Jackendoff's Intermediate-levels Theory 55

Baddeley's Working Memory Model 58

Some Holistic Treatments of Consciousness 59

Quantum Theories of Consciousness 60

Towards a Synthesis; Some Common Themes in the Theories 60

Conclusion 70

4 MOGUL: A Framework for Understanding Consciousness and Learning 71

MOGUL: Its Nature, Goals and Applications 71

MOGUL Architecture 72

MOGUL Processing 83

Acquisition by Processing Theory (APT) 89

Conclusion 95

5 Consciousness in the MOGUL Framework 96

The MOGUL/Activation Account 96

Informativeness and the Activation Hypothesis 103

Relations to Some Prominent Theories of Consciousness 111

Accounting for Some Major Characteristics of Consciousness 118

Conclusion 125

Part 2 Consciousness in Second Language Learning; Applying the Framework

6 Consciousness in Second Language Learning: A Selective Review 129

Consciousness and the Language Teaching Tradition(s) 129

Krashen's Monitor Model 130

Universal Grammar Approaches 131

Krashen's Critics 132

Noticing 142

Implicit and Explicit Learning 147

Conclusion 155

7 Perception: Processing Input 156

Perception: Input and Intake 156

Consciousness and Perception 159

The Establishment of New Representations in Perception 168

Perception and Learning: Implicit, Explicit and Subliminal 181

Enhancing Input 188

Conclusion 199

8 Memory Consolidation and Restructuring 201

Consolidation and Consciousness 202

Restructuring and Consciousness 218

Conclusion 229

9 Conclusion: Consciousness in Second Language Learning 231

Second Language Learning is Primarily an Unconscious Process 232

Consciously Learned Knowledge can Contribute to Language Use 232

Conscious Processes Support Unconscious Learning 235

Some Final Thoughts 238

References 249

Author Index 277

Subject Index 283

Editorial Reviews

In a word, this work by Truscott supports the study of second language development by offering a vivid and readable investigation of the long-standing and intractable phenomenon of consciousness. This inspiring piece has greatly contributed to the on-going debates in cognitive approaches to language teaching and language learning.

LINGUIST List 26.5367 - Mohamed Yacoub

Truscott advances the understanding of the cognitive processes underlying second language development by providing a clear and readable treatment of the longstanding and difficult phenomenon of consciousness. Situated within a psychologically plausible model of second language development, this thought-provoking work has much to contribute to current debates in cognitive approaches to language learning and teaching.

Melinda Whong

This is a masterly and enlightening treatment of the challenging topic that is consciousness. It is informed by cutting-edge research from within cognitive science which is then applied, in clear and concise terms, to the vexed but vital question of how conscious processes might influence the acquisition and use of second languages. Highly recommended.

Mike Sharwood Smith

John Truscott explores the links between consciousness and second language learning by giving a wealth of detailed, precise and concise information, along with cutting-edge research from cognitive science, on the conscious and unconscious processes that influence the acquisition and the use of language... (This) book offers stimulating reading for researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, teachers and anyone else interested in how we learn and how we should teach, especially in SLA.

BAAL News, 107/108, 2015 - Argyro Kanaki