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Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
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Working memory and second language comprehension and production: a meta-analysis.

Jared A Linck1, Peter Osthus, Joel T Koeth

  • 1Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland, 7005 52nd Avenue, College Park, MD, 20742, USA, jlinck@umd.edu.

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|December 25, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Working memory (WM) significantly aids second language (L2) learning and processing. This meta-analysis confirms a robust positive link between WM capacity and L2 proficiency, refuting claims of its overstatement.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Second Language Acquisition

Background:

  • Working memory (WM) is theorized to be crucial for second language (L2) proficiency development and processing.
  • However, the precise impact of WM on L2 outcomes has been debated, with some scholars questioning its significance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively synthesize existing research on the relationship between working memory and L2 proficiency.
  • To assess the influence of various factors on this relationship through meta-analytic covariate analyses.

Main Methods:

  • A meta-analysis was conducted, aggregating data from 79 independent samples comprising 3,707 participants.
  • 748 effect sizes were calculated to determine the overall association between WM and L2 outcomes.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive association was found between working memory and both L2 processing and proficiency (ρ = .255).
  • Executive control aspects of WM and verbal WM measures demonstrated stronger relationships with L2 outcomes compared to storage or nonverbal measures.
  • Publication bias was minimal, indicating the robustness of the findings.

Conclusions:

  • Working memory plays a demonstrable and positive role in second language acquisition and processing.
  • The findings support the integration of WM into theoretical models of L2 development and processing, particularly highlighting the importance of executive functions and verbal WM.