Cognitive Task Complexity and Second Language Writing

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief overview of issuesin the study of task complexity in second language (L2) writing, summarizing (a) two competing theories of task complexity and its effect on L2 production and (b) Kellogg’s (1996) widely accepted model ofworking memory in first language writing. Areas for further inquiry are proposed.

Appendices

The Research Questions

• 1. How does the cognitive complexity of a task influence L2 written performance?

• 2. Does cognitive task complexity affect oral and written L2 performance differently? If so, how?

• 3. How do learners interpret the demands of a writing task? Do their interpretations match theoretical conceptions of the task’s complexity?

• 4. What, if any, is the relationship between the complexity of a writing task and the L2 writer’s interpretation of the task?

• 5. How can cognitive complexity of tasks be used to sequence tasks in order to promote L2 writing performance and/or general L2 development?

• 6. In what ways does genre knowledge constitute a feature of cognitive task complexity?

• 7. How do features of cognitive task complexity affect the writing systems (i.e., formulation, execution, and monitoring) and writing processes (i.e. planning, translating, reading, and editing) of L2 writers?

• 8. How do cognitive task complexity features interact with general L2 proficiency, instruction, and/or genre knowledge to affect L2 writing development/performance?

• 9. How does cognitive task complexity promote “deep, meaningful language processing” (Byrnes & Manchón, 2014, p. 7)?

• 10. How do cognitive task complexity and writer collaboration (Manchón, 2014) interact to affect L2 writing development/performance?

Suggested Resources

Byrnes, H., & Manchón, R. M. (2014). Task-based language learning: Insights from and for L2 writing, an introduction. In H. Byrnes & R. M. Manchón (Eds.), Task-based language learning: Insights from and for L2 writing (pp. 1-23). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

In the introduction to this edited volume, Byrnes and Manchón first outline the historic focus of TBLT research on oral language production, arguing that the view of writing in such research is as “a culture-dependent secondary manifestation of human language” (p. 2). The authors then argue that writing and task can (and should) be viewed as a tool for language learning due to the greater availability of time to focus on language, the visibility/permanence of written output as well as feedback on that output, and the nature of writing as a problem-solving activity. The authors then argue for a view of writing as “a meaning-filled event” (p. 7) which allows an expanded view of task: (a) as an opportunity for deep, meaningful language processing and (b) as a means of motivating literacy development.

Johnson, M. D. (forthcoming). Task complexity studies. In R. M. Manchón, & C. Polio (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition and writing. New York, NY: Routledge.

Focused on writing as a locus for second language acquisition, this chapter provides an overview of theoretical and methodological issues in the research of cognitive task complexity in second language writing and provides a discussion of future directions for researchers. In particular, Johnson calls for future research to examine (a) the relationship(s) among working memory capacity, L2 writing systems (i.e., formulation, execution, and monitoring), and L2 writing processes (i.e., translation and planning); (b) the effect of cognitive task complexity on the propositional complexity of L2 writing as well a the relationship(s) among propositional complexity, syntactic complexity, and lexical complexity; and (c) the role of genre familiarity as a resource-dispersing feature of cognitive task complexity.

Johnson, M. D. (2017). Cognitive task complexity and L2 written syntactic complexity, lexical complexity, accuracy, and fluency: A research synthesis and meta-analysis. Journal of Second Language Writing, 37, 13-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2017.06.001.

In this systematic review of L2 writing research on TBLT, Johnson uses Robinson’s triadic componential framework to code cognitive task complexity features. Using meta-analytic techniques, Johnson compares the effect of cognitive task complexity manipulation on the syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency of L2 written production. Although the results of the study offer no conclusive support for the cognition hypothesis, a number of trends suggest consistent effects of certain task complexity features on L2 written production. However, the results also suggest that L2 writers react to complex task features by directing their attention to various writing systems and processes.

Manchón, R. M. (2014). The internal dimension of tasks: The interaction between task factors and learner factors in bringing about learning through writing. In H. Byrnes & R. M. Manchón (Eds.), Task-based language learning: Insights from and for L2 writing (pp. 27-52). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Manchón examines the cognition hypothesis and its application to L2 writing, arguing for a greater need to examine more complex, more varied, tasks completed under more varied conditions (timed and untimed, individually and collaboratively). Key to this examination is Manchón’s articulation of the role of task engagement from various theoretical viewpoints as well as an articulation of task representation—the interaction of the writer’s understanding of rhetorical concerns with the writer’s goals and strategies for completion of the writing task. From this examination, Manchón sets forth several priorities for future L2 writing research from a TBLT perspective: (a) a better understanding of individual and collaborative writing tasks and task execution/performance, (b) a better understanding of how tasks contribute to language development, and (c) an understanding of how feedback contributes to language learning in a TBLT framework.

Robinson, P. (2011). Second language task complexity, the cognition hypothesis, language learning, and performance. In P. Robinson. (Ed.), Second language task complexity: Researching the cognition hypothesis on language learning and performance (pp. 3-37). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

In this, the introduction to an edited volume, Robinson argues for tasks as the central focus of L2 teaching and learning. Task complexity is proposed as the driver of linguistic complexity as more complex language is needed to encode more complex propositions. Situating the cognition hypothesis in broader theories of pedagogy and assessment, Robinson presents a taxonomy for describing the complexity of language tasks and ordering such tasks to promote language development and/or language performance. In this taxonomy, the cognitive complexity of tasks can be described along a resource-directing dimension of task complexity and a resource-dispersing dimension of task complexity. Resource-directing features of task complexity are hypothesized to focus learner attention on complex, accurate language production. In contrast, resource-dispersing features of task complexity are hypothesized to interfere with language production.