Week #16:
Neurolinguistic
Factors
Second Language Acquisition
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0. Outline
1. Hemispheric dominance
2. Handedness
3. Modality
4. Neurolinguistic
Programming (NLP)
5. Learning Style
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1. Hemispheric dominance
Brain dominance theory has been advanced on
the basis of evidence from research studies.
These indicated that individuals use different
parts of the brain to approach different types
of information.
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1. Hemispheric dominance
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1. Hemispheric dominance
To be sure, both sides of the brain are involved
in information processing.
Yet most people have a preference for one or
the other hemisphere and are accordingly
believed to be left-brain dominant or right-
brain dominant.
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1. Hemispheric dominance
Such brain specialization (or hemispheric
dominance) is the effect of the lateralization of
cognitive functions during the process of
maturation.
Brain hemisphere information processing styles
can be summarized as follows:
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1. Hemispheric dominance
LEFT-BRAIN RIGHT-BRAIN
focuses on component focuses on wholes;
parts; detects discrete organizes component
features parts into a whole
analytical; prefers step- relational;
by-step and part-by-part looks for patterns and
processing construction
linear; processes input global; integrates input
sequentially simultaneously
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1. Hemispheric dominance
LEFT-BRAIN RIGHT-BRAIN
abstract; uses a small concrete;
part of information to relates to things in their
represent the whole current state
logical; draws intuitive; bases on
conclusions based on hunches, feelings or
reasons and facts visual images
temporal; spatial; sees where things
sequences one thing are in relation to other
after another things
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1. Hemispheric dominance
LEFT-BRAIN RIGHT-BRAIN
verbal; processes speech non-verbal;
using words to name, relies on visual-spatial
describe and define orientation
learns from rules, does not benefit from
exemplification, and specific rule formation or
trial and error error correction
ignores emotional cues recognizes and
or makes inappropriate interprets emotional
responses cues
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1. Hemispheric dominance
In terms of pedagogical implications, the above
preferences reveal that right-brain learners are
probably poorly served by analytical
instruction.
By the same token, learners with a dominant
left-brain hemisphere information processing
style may not benefit from the use of right-
brain mode teaching techniques.
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2. Handedness: dexterity vs.
sinistrality
Neurologists have determined that in nearly all right-
handed individuals most language functions are
located in the left hemisphere, while in the left-
handed population that proportion accounts for only
about two-thirds of the cases (Bielska 2006: 58).
Furthermore, according to Arrowsmith Young &
Danesi (2001), hemispheric style correlates with
gender.
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2. Handedness: dexterity vs.
sinistrality
Furthermore, left-handedness seems to affect
SLA more than gender.
Studies have shown that in comparison with
right-handers of both sexes, left-handers of
both sexes are overrepresented in the lowest
level L2 classes while being underrepresented
in the higher level L2 classes.
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2. Handedness: dexterity vs.
sinistrality
Andreou et al. (2005: 431) report on the results of a
questionnaire survey which comprised items
pertaining to hand preference (dexterity - right-
handedness, or sinistrality - left-handedness) in
activities such as:
writing
drawing throwing a ball using scissors
using a knife (without a fork)
using a toothbrush
using a spoon using a broom (upper hand)
striking a match opening a jar or a box
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2. Handedness: dexterity vs.
sinistrality
Summing up the research findings, it
appears that handedness seems to
play no major role in second language
acquisition.
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3. Modality
MODALITY PREFERENCES
VISUAL AUDITORY
KINAESTHETIC
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3. Modality
PREFERRED INPUT CHANNEL
40% - visual
30% - auditory
30% - kinaesthetic
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3. Modality
VISUAL MODALITY PREFERENCE
" reading
" studying graphic information
" writing and drawing
" colour rather than sound
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3. Modality
AUDITORY MODALITY PREFERENCE
" listening activities
" role plays, dialogues, class discussions
" story telling
" prepared talks
" being stimulated by music
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3. Modality
KINAESTHETIC MODALITY PREFERENCE
" hands-on, physical activities
" experiments
" involving both sight and hearing
" learning via touching objects
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4. Neurolinguistic Programming
V A K O G
Visual Gustatory
Auditory Olfactory
Kinaesthetic
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4. Neurolinguistic Programming
NLP
NEURO- -LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING
"behaviour" "language" "individualised"
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4. Neurolinguistic Programming
NLP
a method to discover one's
natural abilities as well as a
practical way to achieve what
one wants to accomplish
(O'Connor & Seymour 1993: 22)
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5. Learning Style
LEARNING STYLE
"the characteristic cognitive,
affective and physiological
behaviours that serve as relatively
stable indicators of how learners
perceive, interact with and respond
to the learning environment"
(Keefe 1979)
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5. Learning Style
FIELD DEPENDENCE/INDEPENDENCE
FI Style
FD Style
the learner is able to
the learner tends to
identify or focus on
look at the whole of
particular items and is
a learning task
not distracted by other
which contains
items in the
many items
background or context
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5. Learning Style
GEFT (GROUP EMBEDDED FIGURES TEST)
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5. Learning Style
CATEGORY WIDTH
broad narrow
categorisers categorisers
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5. Learning Style
REFLEXIVITY / IMPULSIVITY
slower spontaneous
(reflective) (impulsive)
decisions guesses
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5. Learning Style
LEARNER STYLE: OTHER TYPOLOGIES
focusers vs. scanners
serialists vs. holists
part learners vs. global learners
analytic learners vs. gestalt learners
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The End
Thank
you
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