The Significance of Cognition, and Cognitive Strategies in the Field of Second Language Learning

Second language learning or acquisition is a process by which people learn a language. This process receives research attention from a variety of many disciplines, such as cognitive psychology and education. Cognitive psychologists and educators have long been interested in understanding how people learn a second or foreign language or acquire new knowledge and skills. Therefore, there have been numerous factors (such as cognition, cognitive processes, and cognitive strategies) that contribute positively to second language acquisition. This study is an attempt to provide a comprehensive and readable overview of research literature on prominent position of cognition in second language learning and development. The researcher begins the paper with an appropriate and readable introduction dealing with cognition. The paper examines a brief historical research pertaining to the emergence of cognitive revolution and its relation to human language behavior. After that, it discusses major works that have been conducted concerning the positive influences of different cognitive processes on the field of second language learning and acquisition. And it then follows with an elaboration on fundamental effects of cognitive strategies (major components in cognitive science) in language learning context, with their definitions and categories. The last section is the conclusion.

کلیدواژه ها:

cognition ، cognitive processes ، cognitive strategies ، second language learning