Which theory emphasizes cognitive processing in language acquisition?

• A. Cognitive processing theories in language acquisition
• B. Communicative language teaching or communicative approaches
• C. Noam Chomsky
• D. Universal Grammar

Answer: (A)

The concept tested is identifying which theoretical perspective centers on how learners mentally process language. Cognitive processing theories in language acquisition view learning as a result of the learner’s information-processing system—how attention, working memory, and long-term memory interact to encode, store, and retrieve linguistic structures. They focus on processes like noticing patterns, forming mental representations, and using cognitive strategies to parse and organize language input. This explains why it best fits the question: it explicitly emphasizes internal mental processing as the engine of language development, rather than teaching methods or innate grammatical knowledge.

Communicative approaches, in contrast, prioritize interaction and real-world use for building communicative competence, not the internal processing mechanisms. Universal Grammar and Noam Chomsky argue for innate grammatical knowledge guiding language development, rather than a focus on cognitive processing steps learners use to handle input.