Declarative vs. Procedural Memory: Roles in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

Memory is not a single faculty but is a combination of multiple distinct abilities (Schacter, 1987). The declarative-procedural distinction is used both with regard to knowledge and memory that stores this knowledge. Ellis (2008) used the terms explicit/implicit, and declarative/procedural interchangeably. In this article the researcher aims at identifying the different aspects of declarative/procedural memory, interaction between these two types of memory, and the role they may play in second language acquisition.