Learners will have less difficulty acquiring target
language patterns that are similar to those of the first
language than those that are different. In addition, a
teacher who makes a comparison betweeen the foreign
language and native language of his or her students will
know better what the real problems are and can find out
whether students' errors are the result of transfer from
their first language.

In which of the following hypotheses the argument
above is rooted?

.