The relationship between phonological short-term memory and the development of L2 vocabulary and collocational knowledge : a longitudinal study of adult Polish learners of English at A2 and B1 levels of English proficiency

Abstract

The present study examines the relationship between individual differences in Phonological Short-term Memory (PSTM) and L2 vocabulary/collocation learning in adult L2 learners in a longitudinal classroom-based study at the A2 and B1 level of L2 proficiency. PSTM is one of the four components of the Working Memory model (Baddeley, 1986; Baddeley, 2000; Baddeley, 2003; Baddeley, 2007; Baddeley & Hitch, 1974). It is theorised to comprise two sub-components: the nonarticulatory phonological store which is responsible for holding phonological information for up to a few seconds, and the articulatory rehearsal mechanism which refreshes memory traces held in the phonological store and prevents them from decaying. The Working Memory model has received a considerable amount of attention from academics working the area of cognition and language. Even though PSTM is seen as limited in capacity to a few memory items, it has generated an extensive amount of research over the last 30 years, particularly in developmental studies on children and laboratory based experiments involving adults. PSTM has been shown to be linked significantly with L1 vocabulary knowledge/learning in children, but studies involving adults carried out to date present a less conclusive picture.