Which statement best captures what NLP suggests about individual differences in processing language experiences?

• A. It denies individual differences in processing
• B. It emphasizes uniform processing across learners
• C. It acknowledges preferred thinking styles or metaprograms
• D. It rejects affective factors

Answer: (C)

NLP posits that people process language experiences through different thinking styles. This means learners bring distinct patterns of attention, memory, and motivation to language tasks, captured by the idea of metaprograms—enduring preferences for how information is filtered and acted upon. For example, some learners lean toward goals and future possibilities, while others are driven by avoiding problems; some rely on internal cues and mental imagery, others on external feedback; some seek the big picture, others focus on details. Because of these processing differences, the view is that there isn’t a single, uniform way language is learned, and affective factors like motivation and state of mind play a role in how processing unfolds.