Affective Filter Hypothesis

The affective filter hypothesis is one of five interconnected hypotheses in Stephen Krashen's theory of second-language acquisition, developed during the 1970s and 1980s. It holds that a learner's negative emotional responses to their environment, such as anxiety, low motivation or low self-confidence, function as a mental filter that can block language input from reaching the parts of the mind responsible for acquisition, regardless of how comprehensible that input actually is. The practical implication Krashen drew is that reducing a learner's anxiety and building their confidence, rather than simply supplying still more input, is often what allows acquisition to proceed efficiently.