ABSTRACT
Like the field of linguistics, the field of psychology has significantly influenced the study of SLA. In this chapter, we outline approaches to second language acquisition with a basis in psycholinguistic processing rather than in the structure of linguistic products. We begin the chapter by discussing connectionist/emergentist approaches to second language learning (section 8.2) followed by processing approaches, in particular, processability theory and information processing (section 8.3). We then move to a discussion of knowledge types (acquisition-learning, declarative/procedural, implicit/explicit) (section 8.4) and the interface between knowledge types (section 8.5). Finally, we deal with concepts that are prevalent in the psycholinguistic literature and that relate to second language learning; namely, attention, working memory, monitoring, and U-shaped learning (section 8.6). It is important to note once again that there is an important difference in emphasis between linguistics and psychology in their relationship to SLA. In linguistics the emphasis is on constraints on grammar formation, whereas in psychology the emphasis is on the actual processing mechanisms involved in SLA as well as on issues (e.g. working memory capacity) that affect those mechanisms. This is not to say that there is no overlap, only that each approach has its own particular emphasis.
