Applied Psycholinguistics

The theory of psycholinguistics is focused on mental processes that occur in

human brain when a person tries to learn the language. There are four language

skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) that are included in language

perception.

Based on psycholinguistics theory that it is important to identity the intrinsic and

extrinsic difficulties in listening once learning a language. Intrinsic difficulty refers

to the speed of speech, number of known words and prior knowledge about the

topic. This can be improved by practice and exposure to the language to help the

child acquire and learn language. Extrinsic difficulty refers to the students'

interest, motivation, purpose of listening activity and noise environment. This is

more focused on personal perspective of the learners. A child will learn best once

he/she is willing and there is a purpose of learning. Someone who is teaching the

language should knowhow to eradicate or lessen the difficulties that hinder the

child to learn and acquire the language. The approach of psycholinguistics in

reading is the bottom up and top down. While in writing, there are also factors
that become a hurdle like agraphia and the topic for writing should awaken the

interest of the learners.

Psycholinguistic approach to language learning conceive language learning as

cognitive and individual process in which knowledge constructed as the learner is

exposed to comprehensible input, is given opportunities to both, negotiate and

receive negative feedback.