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Abstract Abstract: Based on the speech production theories, the Limited Attentional Capacity Model and the Multiple Attentional Resources Model, the present study measures the varying cognitive demands of simple tasks vs. complex tasks along the dimensions of +/-few elements, +/-here and now and +/-reasoning via learners’ perception of task difficulty, and investigates the effects of cognitive demands on the linguistic quality of learners’ oral performance as well as their attention allocation in the process of production. Results show that increase of cognitive demands is reflected in higher level of anxiety and lower confidence. In terms of linguistic quality, greater cognitive demands result in lower fluency, higher complexity and pose a potential negative effect on accuracy. Learners tend to prioritize language form over content in manipulating tasks, and allocate more attention to language form when cognitive demands increase. Research findings partially support the Multiple Attentional Resources Model.
Key words: cognitive demands; the Limited Attentional Capacity Model; the Multiple Attentional Resources Model; oral performance; attention allocation
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