COGNITION AND SECOND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION

Abstract

COGNITION AND SECOND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION. Peter Robinson (Ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Pp. xi + 453. 33.00 paper.This book is part of the Cambridge University Press series in Applied Linguistics, edited by Michael H. Long and Jack C. Richards. The edited collection presents cognitive perspectives on second language (L2) learning, a topic that is currently receiving a great deal of attention in SLA research. The series editors, both of whom have produced notable research in L2 learning, point out: “cognition and cognitive factors, therefore, are central to any account of how and why SLA works, or so often fails, and equally central to the theory and practice of second language instruction” (p. vii). Robinson is one of the driving forces behind the current interest in cognitive approaches to SLA. He has proposed a view of the field that involves exploring the connections between SLA and aspects of human cognition, such as attention, awareness, and memory, as well as the role of individual differences in SLA and L2 learning conditions (e.g., Robinson, 1997, 2001, 2002). Robinson has assembled an impressive lineup of contributors.