Second Language Task Complexity

Examines evidence for claims of the Cognition Hypothesis that complex tasks should promote greater accuracy and complexity of speech and writing, as well as more interaction, and learning of information provided in the input to task performance, than simpler tasks.

This collection documents a broad spectrum of recent work motivated by the CH [Cognition Hypothesis] that seeks to inform theory and practice in task-based language teaching.
Each section offers unique perspectives on task complexity, establishing its relevance to L2 instruction. These insights from a range of experts add to the volume’s overall quality. This book should therefore find a wide audience among graduate students, language teachers, and researchers.

This book is a timely contribution to the debate on task complexity and it also provides empirical evidence for the importance of task complexity in predicting L2 development. Most of the results reported in the different chapters are in line with Robinson’s CH [Cognition Hypothesis]. However, when the findings do not follow the predictions of the CH, the authors provide a critical discussion of their results and open new questions to the debate on task complexity and its operationalization. This book is a key reading not only for researchers in the field of applied linguistics or cognitive psychology, but also for teachers and those interested in educational psychology.