According to the text, how do post-pubescent second language learners typically differ cognitively from child native acquirers?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. They rely more heavily on explicit declarative memory rather than implicit procedural learning
- Step 1: The author notes: 'Post-pubescent second language learners typically rely on explicit declarative memory circuits rather than implicit procedural acquisition networks...'
- Step 2: Adults learn grammatical rules declaratively rather than absorbing them implicitly.
Answer
They rely more heavily on explicit declarative memory rather than implicit procedural learning.
Why not the others: 'They lose all grammatical comprehension...' is obviously false as adults master advanced syntax; 'They develop photographic visual reading ability...' is unsupported; 'They completely lose the physical ability to articulate foreign vowels' is an overstatement (foreign accents are common, not total speech inability).
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