Research performed pursuant to a contract with the Defense Language Institute. Complete report of this research is available on request from Defense Language Institute Headquarters, R and S Division, Anacostia Naval Annex, Washington, D.C.; Reference: Final Report -- The Role of Personality Variables in Second Language Behavior.'' (RS)

Contrastive analysis a priori predicts facts of possible errors in learning a second language that contrastive analysis a posteriori cannot explain. In a study of relative clause formation, the latter approach shows that students have no trouble, whereas the former approach shows the task to be so difficult that they avoid it. (AG)