What is Richard Schmidt's hypothesis that learners acquire only what they notice in the input?

What is Richard Schmidt's hypothesis that learners acquire only what they notice in the input?

• A. Noticing hypothesis
• B. Processing instruction
• C. Processability theory
• D. Recast

Answer: (A)

Noticing means paying attention to language features as you encounter them in input. Schmidt’s Noticing Hypothesis says learners only acquire new linguistic forms when they consciously notice those forms in the language they hear or read. So exposure alone isn’t enough—if a learner doesn’t notice a feature, it doesn’t get integrated into their developing grammar, even if they’ve seen it many times. This highlights why focus on form and activities that draw attention to specific features can boost what learners actually acquire. The other ideas are related but describe different ideas. Processing Instruction is a teaching approach that uses carefully structured input to guide learners toward noticing form, rather than a statement about how acquisition happens on its own. Processability Theory predicts the order in which forms can be learned based on cognitive processing constraints. Recast is a feedback technique that can help learners notice and reformulate their output, but it’s a method, not Schmidt’s general claim about noticing and acquisition.

Noticing means paying attention to language features as you encounter them in input. Schmidt’s Noticing Hypothesis says learners only acquire new linguistic forms when they consciously notice those forms in the language they hear or read. So exposure alone isn’t enough—if a learner doesn’t notice a feature, it doesn’t get integrated into their developing grammar, even if they’ve seen it many times. This highlights why focus on form and activities that draw attention to specific features can boost what learners actually acquire.

The other ideas are related but describe different ideas. Processing Instruction is a teaching approach that uses carefully structured input to guide learners toward noticing form, rather than a statement about how acquisition happens on its own. Processability Theory predicts the order in which forms can be learned based on cognitive processing constraints. Recast is a feedback technique that can help learners notice and reformulate their output, but it’s a method, not Schmidt’s general claim about noticing and acquisition.