Task complexity, task difficulty, and task production: Exploring interactions in a componential framework

This paper describes a framework for examining the effects of the cognitive complexity of tasks on language production and learner perceptions of task difficulty, and for motivating sequencing decisions in task-based syllabus es. Results of a study of the relationship between task complexity, difficu lty, and production show that increasing the cognitive complexity of a dire ction-giving map task significantly affects speaker-information-giver produ ction (more lexical variety on a complex version and greater fluency on a s imple version) and hearer-information-receiver interaction (more confirmati on checks on a complex version). Cognitive complexity also significantly af fects learner perceptions of difficulty (e.g. a complex version is rated si gnificantly more stressful than a simple version). Task role significantly affects ratings of difficulty, though task sequencing (simple to complex ve rsus the reverse sequence) does not. However, sequencing does affect the ac curacy and fluency of speaker production. Implications of the findings for task-based syllabus design and further research into task complexity, diffi culty, and production interactions are discussed.