Which theory explains how the order of processing elements in sentences affects language development, focusing on real-time processing?

• A. Processability theory
• B. Noticing hypothesis
• C. Processing instruction
• D. Pattern practice drill

Answer: (A)

Language development is shaped by how learners parse sentences as they hear them in real time. Processability Theory says learners build grammar in stages only as their processing system can handle the linguistic dependencies involved. If a structure requires holding multiple pieces of information and linking them across a distance, it won’t be acquired until processing capacity and the computational path allow it. So constructions that align with the learner’s immediate processing route—short, local dependencies with clear meaning mappings—are learned earlier, while complex, nonlocal dependencies are delayed. This explains why the order in which processing elements appear in sentences guides development. The other theories address different aspects—noticing features in input, instruction that changes real-time processing, or drill-based practice—rather than how processing order shapes real-time language growth.