Richard Roberts

memorization exercises (such as listening to a text and then parroting it back verbatim, memorizing long passages of dialogue, slogging through flashcards) place the adult learner at a disadvantage cognitively. Because this ability declines with age, placing too much emphasis on rote memory can lead to frustration, is demoralizing, and can ultimately cause any adult language learner to quit.

Myth 1: Adults cannot acquire a foreign language as easily as children.

There are only two areas where children may be superior to adults when it comes to language learning. The first appears to be their ability to acquire a native accent.

Children’s other advantage over adults is that they have no language learning anxiety.

Myth 2: Adults should learn foreign languages the way children learn languages.

They try to learn a foreign language “purely,” the way they acquired their first language. This isn’t possible. Trying to do so inevitably leads to frustration and a higher probability of abandoning the goal.

Myth 3: When learning a foreign language, try not to use your first language.

looking for places where concepts, categories, or patterns are transferable is of great benefit,

Cognitive science occupies the intersection of a number of fields in which researchers from many disciplines explore questions about the nature of mind.

Top-down processes, which are also referred to as conceptually driven processes, utilize what you already know in service of perception and comprehension.