Cognitive Considerations

As we have been discussing in class what it the best age in learning a second language, following some approaches we concluded that exist a time when a person is able to learn a second language easier than in another time, as we have seen, exist a big difference between adult and child, it says that a child is more capable for learning a second language than an adult concerning to age of puberty, and this is called critical period. In our class we were talking about what is the end of this critical period concerning to puberty and we did not get what was the age, in this little analysis we are going to define what is the end of puberty according some authors ( Jean Piaget and Ausubel). Jean Piaget developed some theories about the age of childhood, there are five stages: Sensorimotor (birth to two), Preoperational (ages two to seven), Operational (seven to sixteen), Concrete Operational (ages seven to eleven) and formal operational (ages eleven to sixteen). Agreeing with Jean Piaget the critical period is in the stage of Formal operational ages eleven to sixteen that is the end of period in sixteen years, in those years a person becomes capable for learning more because he got a formal thinking, but remember that exist cognitive considerations, so every person has different way of learning. Ausubel thinks in another form thats right that a child can learn, but the point is that they do in an unconsciously way, an adult have the advantages learning aware, they can
understand or learn an explanation of Grammar about one language that depends of the environment that they have or a teacher create, this is pointless for a child, but if we think how is the process of learning in the adulthood and in childhood is completely different, in the childhood is faster than in other time, the main point of this is that they learn without doubts without asking, they dont realize that make mistake, for example if a child says something in a bad way or mispronunciation who corrects him? Obviously that their parents but parents just says what is the mistake they dont explain why is the mistake, and an adult would ask everything that makes short the process.

Piaget explains something that there is an equilibration in each person, this means organization of knowledge in every mind, but for this to happen it is necessary a disequilibrium and this just happens in the child as Piaget explained: a disequilibrium may provide significant motivation for language acquisition in other words Language interacts with cognition to achieve equilibrium. (Brown, 2007)

By: Jose Gustavo Espinoza.

Reference: Brown, D. (2007). Age and Acquisition. En D. Brown, Principles of language learning and teaching. (pgs. 49-73). New York: Longman.