Recent findings in the field of pragmatics have revealed that pragmatic accuracy (knowledge) and pragmatic speed (processing ability) function as two distinct and non-parallel components of pragmatic competence. Anderson's adaptive control of thought--rational (ACT-R) model, which emphasises the development of skill through repeated practice, offers a useful framework for understanding how pragmatic speed can be enhanced. This study set to examine the impact of an ACT-R based form of instruction, input-based practice, on the development of pragmatic recognition and oral production of English refusals in a group of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. It compared the results from that pedagogic treatment with those from a similar group following '6Rs' metapragmatic instruction, which does not include repeated activities. A total of 115 Iranian EFL students took part in the study. The findings suggest the value of both input-based practice and metapragmatic instruction in developing different aspects of L2 pragmatic competence; input-based practice was found to impact more on language learners' pragmatic speed while the 6Rs approach had a more consistent impact on pragmatic accuracy.