Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the emerging interface of psychology and second language acquisition. It begins with a discussion of the linguistic dominance of the field of SLA in the past, then describes the growing influence of psychology in the present, with a special emphasis on examining why psychology is more suited to the study of language development than traditional linguistics. It will be argued that while the ideal solution for researching the acquisition of a second language would be a balanced integration of psychological and linguistic expertise, such an ideal scenario poses a number of serious challenges for the future. The paper is concluded by proposing a research agenda for developing a fine-tuned taxonomy of optimal patterns of explicit-implicit cooperation in the learning of a second language, thereby integrating declarative and procedural knowledge.