English language learners’pragmatic competence is related to their success incross-cultural communication. Cognitive approaches, mainly the Noticing Hypothesis and Analysis/Control Model, have provided some insights into the question of how to effectively develop second language(L2) learners’pragmatic competence. Empirical studies based on cognitive theoretical con-structs suggest that pragmatic activitiesthat draw learners’attention and help them control attention to relevant and appropriate in-formation and integrate those forms in real time of communication contribute to the development of interlanguage pragmatic competence.