Cognitive Dimensions of Second Language Expertise

What makes a sports champion?  Is Usain Bolt the world’s fastest runner because he was born to run, because he trained hard every day for years, or because he had the help of an expert coach? Most people would claim that athletes need all three of these factors for success: talent, training, and coaching. Is the same true for foreign language experts? What makes a linguistic champion? Is intensive training plus good coaching sufficient, or is a special talent for foreign language learning necessary? Once identified, can language learning strengths be capitalized upon by tailoring language training?  CASL researchers are trying to answer these questions through a set of related studies on innovative computerized measures of foreign language aptitude, working memory training and transfer, hard work indicated by motivation and personality facets, and specific coaching via the aptitude by treatment interaction paradigm.  Based on research findings, it may be possible to effect a complete overhaul of the USG personnel selection and classification battery and improve placement into optimal language training, using new ideas based on advances in technology, psychometrics, cognitive science, second language acquisition and personality theory.