Evidence for the decreasing impact of cognitive ability on second language development as proficiency increases (original) (raw)
Related papers
2015
This study investigated whether the role of working memory capacity varies over the course of second language (L2) morphosyntactic development. Eighty-seven beginning, intermediate, and advanced university L2 Spanish learners completed two nonverbal tasks measuring executive function (EF) and phonological working memory (PWM) in their native language (English) and two tasks measuring knowledge of ten grammatical structures in Spanish at three points during and after a semester of instruction. Robust relationships between both working memory components, especially PWM, and L2 performance, emerged only for lower level learners, particularly at the start of instruction and 3.5 months later. Findings demonstrate that the facilitative effects of cognitive ability appear to lessen with increasing L2 proficiency and empirically support a developmental perspective of L2 learning.
The Influence of Working Memory on Second Language Processing Outcomes of Language Learners
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2024
This study was conducted to determine which domains of working memory significantly influence the second language processing outcomes of grade 10 language learners. The study employed a quantitative, non-experimental method employing causal effect to describe existing characters. Mean, Pearson r, and Multiple Regression Analysis were the statistical tools used to determine the level, relationship, and influence of each variable. The respondents comprised 332 grade 10 students from the main secondary schools from the four districts in the Division of Compostela Valley, Province of Compostela Valley in random selection, 125 from School A, 77 from School B, 88 from School C and 42 from School D for the school-year 2018-2019. The findings of the study revealed a high level of working memory in terms of planning, problem-solving, reasoning, and first language comprehension. This study also revealed that the level of second language processing outcomes was high in terms of second language comprehension and second language production. The correlation between the two variables of the study revealed a significant relationship between working memory and second language processing outcomes of language learners. Lastly, the study revealed that all the domains of working memory: planning, problem-solving, reasoning, and first language comprehension, significantly influence second language processing outcomes of language learners.
This book introduces a principled approach to incorporating the construct of working memory (WM) into second language acquisition (SLA) research. Towards that end, I argue for an integrated framework of WM for SLA that draws on insights from established WM research in cognitive psychology as well as initial findings from SLA studies looking into the effects of WM. Within the framework, I also propose a set of general principles that serve as a basis for further studies probing the WM-SLA nexus. Applying some tenets from this framework, I report on an empirical study investigating the differential effects of WM constructs on L2 task-based speech planning and performance, culminating in forged links bridging WM components and their corresponding L2 speech performance measures. Further implications of this integrated framework of WM for SLA are also discussed in the context of “WM as foreign language aptitude”.
The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and psycholinguistics, 2022
Working memory is a cognitive space for simultaneous information manipulation and storage. In the field of second language acquisition, working memory has been investigated as a key individual difference variable mediating various aspects of the process and outcome of language learning. Despite the voluminous body of research, there has been confusion over its conceptualization, measurement, and mechanism, and the research has yielded disparate, and sometimes contradictory, findings. This chapter seeks to clarify the construct and navigate through the empirical evidence that has been accumulated over the past three decades with a view to extracting meaningful patterns and trends emerging from the research. The chapter starts with a discussion of the nature, scope, and architecture of working memory, followed by an introduction to the various tests that have been used to measure the construct and its components. The chapter proceeds to discuss the research on the role of working memory in second language acquisition including theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence on the associations between working memory and learning outcomes or processes. The chapter ends by identifying areas for future research.
Working memory and second language learning
International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2012
This book introduces a principled approach to incorporating the construct of working memory (WM) into second language acquisition (SLA) research. Towards that end, I argue for an integrated framework of WM for SLA that draws on insights from established WM research in cognitive psychology as well as initial findings from SLA studies looking into the effects of WM. Within the framework, I also propose a set of general principles that serve as a basis for further studies probing the WM-SLA nexus. Applying some tenets from this framework, I report on an empirical study investigating the differential effects of WM constructs on L2 task-based speech planning and performance, culminating in forged links bridging WM components and their corresponding L2 speech performance measures. Further implications of this integrated framework of WM for SLA are also discussed in the context of "WM as foreign language aptitude".
This article reviews research on working memory (WM) and its use in second language (L2) acquisition research. Recent developments in the model and issues surrounding the operationalization of the construct itself are presented, followed by a discussion of various methods of measuring WM. These methods include word and digit span tasks, reading, listening and speaking span tasks. We next outline the role proposed for WM in explaining individual differences in L2 learning processes and outcomes, including sentence processing, reading, speaking, lexical development and general proficiency. Key findings are that WM is not a unitary construct and that its role varies depending on the age of the L2 learners, the task and the linguistic domain. Some tests of WM may in fact be tests of differences in ability to attend to aspects of the L2. Future research will focus on matching tests of WM more closely with linguistic tasks and using more standardized, replicable measures of WM in new areas including writing in non-alphabetic scripts, instructional interventions and cognitive neuropsychology.
Working memory and second language acquisition: Theory and findings
2016
This article presents a narrative review of research on working memory (WM) in order to offer a foundation for understanding issues in second language acquisition (SLA). In the first section, current psychological views on WM are described in terms of three distinct theoretical models associated with Baddeley, Cowan, and Engle. Based on this, general issues for WM theories are summarized and practical implications for research are stated. In the second section, empirical findings from SLA research on WM in three domains are discussed. These domains include learning conditions, cognitive processes, and linguistic outcomes. The review concludes with some brief reflections on the future of WM research in SLA.
Longitudinal effects of working memory on L2 grammar and reading abilities
Second Language Research, 2017
Adults demonstrate difficulty and pronounced variability when developing second language (L2) grammatical knowledge and reading skills. We examine explanations in terms of individual differences in working memory (WM). Despite numerous studies, the association between WM and adult second language (L2) acquisition remains unclear, and longitudinal studies are scarce and contradictory. This study investigates whether WM affects L2 grammar and reading development in beginning classroom learners, using WM tests with (Waters and Caplan’s 1996 test) and without (Daneman and Carpenter’s 1980 test) a demanding processing task. In Experiment 1, 82 beginning first language (L1) English learners of Spanish completed Daneman and Carpenter’s test, and grammar and reading pretests and posttests one year apart. In Experiment 2, 330 beginning English learners of Spanish completed the same tests as in Experiment 1 and Waters and Caplan’s test. The results reveal that only Waters Caplan’s test (respo...
2020
This study investigates how working memory (WM) abilities are implicated in second language (L2) learners' (a) morphosyntactic achievement and (b) perceptions of required mental effort and task difficulty under oral versus written task modality conditions. Beginning-level learners of L2 Spanish completed two computerized focused tasks in which they produced output and received feedback in oral form (Speaking group) or written form (Writing group). Two grammatical structures varying in their relative level of salience were targeted. After each task, participants rated their perceptions of mental effort required and task difficulty. Production and written and aural acceptability judgment tasks were employed to measure immediate and sustained L2 morphosyntactic achievement. Executive, phonological, and visuospatial WM abilities were gauged using automated operation span, nonword recognition, and forward Corsi blocktapping tasks, respectively. Regression analyses revealed that WM capacity was predictive of L2 morphosyntactic outcomes and task perception ratings in the Speaking group only. Specifically, phonological and visuospatial WM were associated with production and acceptability judgment performance accuracy, whereas executive WM was related to learners' ratings of perceived mental effort. Differences were also observed based on the target structure.
The article summarizes results from two experimental studies (N = 23, N = 21) investigating the extent to which working memory capacity (WMC) intervenes in ab initio language development under two pedagogical conditions [+/- grammar lesson + input-based practice + explicit feedback]. The linguistic target is the use of morphosyntax to assign semantic functions in Latin. Results suggest that with the more traditional pedagogical approach [[+ grammar lesson], WMC does not predict learner outcomes. In contrast, in an approach that immediately immerses learners in meaning-focused practice with the same explicit feedback, WMC predicts gains on interpreting aural and written input. Thus, it appears that pre-practice grammar explanation “levels the field” for learners of varying WMC, while WMC may play more of a role when metalinguistic information is limited to reactive feedback. These results extend previous research (Robinson 2002, 2005b; Erlam 2005; Sagarra & Abbuhl 2013a, 20013b; Goo 2012; Li 2013; Tagarelli et al. 2014), and further call attention to the importance of interactions between pedagogical tools and individual differences in explaining language development.