Affective Filter: (Krashen) An emotional barrier (anxiety, low motivation) that prevents input from reaching the language acquisition part of the brain.

Behaviorism (The "Habit" School)

• Classical Conditioning: A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus (e.g., Pavlov’s dogs).

• Operant Conditioning: Learning based on the consequences of behavior (rewards/reinforcement vs. punishment).

• Positive Reinforcement: Strengthening a behavior by providing a desirable reward immediately after the behavior occurs.

• Tabula Rasa: The belief that the mind is a "blank slate" at birth and all knowledge comes from the environment.

• Habit Formation: The process by which a behavior becomes automatic through constant repetition and reinforcement.

• Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH): The claim that L2 errors are primarily caused by interference from the L1 (Negative Transfer).

Bloom’s Taxonomy: A hierarchical classification of learning objectives (Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating).

Cognitive Psychology 

• Schema (pl. Schemata): Mental frameworks used to organize and interpret new information.

• Working Memory: The part of the memory system where information is temporarily held and actively processed.

• Cognitive Load: The amount of mental effort required to process information in the working memory.

• Metacognition: The awareness and regulation of one's own thinking processes ("learning how to learn").

• Long-Term Memory: The permanent storage of information, divided into Declarative (facts/rules) and Procedural (how to do things).

Constructivism 

• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The distance between what a learner can do alone and what they can achieve with the guidance of a "More Knowledgeable Other" (MKO).

• Scaffolding: Temporary support structures (clues, encouragement, simplified steps) provided by a teacher to help a student master a task.

• Private Speech: The "self-talk" children use to guide their own thinking; Vygotsky viewed this as the transition from social talk to internal thought.

• Mediation: The use of tools (language, signs, symbols) to bridge the gap between the individual and the environment.

• Educational Psychology: The branch of psychology focused on how people learn and the effectiveness of educational interventions. it applies psychological theories to improve teaching and student outcomes.

• Intrinsic Motivation: Motivation that comes from within a person (e.g., learning for personal satisfaction).

LAD (Language Acquisition Device): (Chomsky) A hypothetical module of the human mind posited to account for children's innate predisposition for language acquisition.

Krashen's Monitor Model

• Comprehensible Input (i+1): Language that is just one level above the learner's current proficiency, making it challenging but understandable.

• The Affective Filter: An emotional "gate" that can block learning. High anxiety, low motivation, or low confidence raises the filter.

• The Monitor: The conscious "editor" that checks and corrects language output based on learned rules.

• Acquisition vs. Learning: Acquisition is subconscious and natural; Learning is conscious and formal.

Nativism 

• Universal Grammar (UG): An innate, biological blueprint of grammatical principles shared by all human languages.

• Language Acquisition Device (LAD): A theoretical "mental organ" or "black box" in the brain that allows children to trigger language rules from input.

• Poverty of the Stimulus: The argument that children acquire language skills far beyond the limited and messy input they receive from adults.

• Competence vs. Performance: Competence is the intuitive knowledge of language rules; Performance is the actual use of language in real situations.

• Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH): The theory that there is a biological window (ending around puberty) after which native-like language acquisition is much more difficult.