Cognitive-code learning refers to a theory of second language teaching and learning rooted in cognitivist psychology and structural applied linguistics developed in the1960s. The theory emphasizes the central role of cognition in the conscious and explicit learning of the rules of a language as a code. The cognitive-code approach to learning a second language sees it as a study of language as a complex system with the goal of gaining conscious control of the grammatical, lexical (vocabulary), and auditory patterns.