Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Phonological Memory and L2 Vocabulary Learning in a Narrated Story Task

  • Published:
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the role played by phonological memory (PM) in the learning of new second language (L2) vocabulary presented in a narrated story. The proposal was that individuals with a strong PM would do better on this largely auditory task than those with poor PM capacity, since fewer visual/written cues could make remembering vocabulary a more challenging task. Participants were French native speakers, advanced learners of English (N = 55). The results revealed that PM, measured by a nonword repetition task and a serial recognition task, did not predict vocabulary retention scores in the group as a whole. However, when low and high PM subgroups were formed, a significant association between PM and vocabulary retention was found in the low PM group only, suggesting the contribution of PM to short-term vocabulary learning in advanced learners is outweighed by other factors, except when PM is quite weak.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdallah, F. (2010). The role of phonological memory in L2 acquisition in adults at different proficiency levels. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Université Laval, Quebec.

  • Atkins, P. W. B., & Baddeley, A. D. (1998). Working memory and distributed vocabulary learning. Applied Psycholinguistics, 19, 537–552.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D. (1986). Working memory. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D. (2000). The episodic buffer: A new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4, 417–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D. (2007). Working memory, thought, and action. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D. (2012). Working memory: Theories, models and controversies. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100422.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D. (2017). Modularity, working memory and language acquisition. Second Language Research, 33(3), 299–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D., & Hitch, G. (1974). Working memory. In G. Bower (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 8, pp. 47–90). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D., Gathercole, S., & Papagno, C. (1998). The phonological loop as a language learning device. Psychological Review, 105, 158–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bahrick, H. P. (1970). Two-phase model for prompted recall. Psychological Review, 77, 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0029099.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barcroft, J. (2007). Effects of opportunities for word retrieval during second language vocabulary learning. Language Learning, 57, 35–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2007.00398.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barcroft, J. (2015). Can retrieval opportunities increase vocabulary learning during reading? Foreign Language Annals, 48, 236–249. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, J. B., & Sapon, S. (1959). Modern language aptitude test. New York: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, H. (1996). Nonword span as a unique predictor of second-language vocabulary learning. Developmental Psychology, 32, 867–873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doughty, C. J. (2019). Cognitive language aptitude. Language Learning, 69, 101–126. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duyck, W., Szmalec, A., Kemps, E., & Vandierendonck, A. (2003). Verbal working memory is involved in associative word learning unless visual codes are available. Journal of Memory and Language, 48, 527–541. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-596X(02)00533-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engel de Abreu, P. M. J., Gathercole, S. E., & Martin, R. (2011). Disentangling the relationship between working memory and language: The roles of short-term storage and cognitive control. Learning and Individual Differences, 21, 569–574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2011.06.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forster, K. I., & Forster, J. C. (2003). DMDX: A windows display program with millisecond accuracy. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers, 35, 116–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French, L. M. (2006). Phonological working memory and second language acquisition: A developmental study of Francophone children learning English in Quebec. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • French, L. M., & O’Brien, I. (2008). Phonological memory and children’s L2 grammar learning. Applied Psycholinguistics, 29, 463–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gathercole, S. E. (2006). Nonword repetition and word learning: The nature of the relationship. Applied Psycholinguistics, 27, 513–543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gathercole, S. E., Hitch, G. J., Service, E., & Martin, A. J. (1997). Phonological short-term memory and new word learning in children. Developmental Psychology, 33, 966–979.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gathercole, S. E., Willis, C. S., Emslie, H., & Baddelely, A. D. (1992). Phonological memory and vocabulary development during the early school years: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 28, 887–898.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, M., & Sawyer, M. (1992). L2 working memory capacity and L2 reading skill. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 14, 25–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, C. F. (2003). Phonological memory, phonological awareness, and foreign language word learning. Language Learning, 53, 429–462. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9922.00231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hulstijn, J. H. (2001). Intentional and incidental second-language vocabulary learning: A reappraisal of elaboration, rehearsal and automaticity. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Cognition and second language instruction (pp. 258–286). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hummel, K. M. (2009). Aptitude, phonological memory, and second language proficiency in nonnovice adult learners. Applied Psycholinguistics, 30, 225–249. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716409090109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hummel, K. M., & French, L. M. (2010). Phonological memory and implications for the second language classroom. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 66, 371–391. https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.66.3.371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hummel, K. M., & French, L. M. (2016). Phonological memory and aptitude components: Contributions to second language proficiency. Learning and Individual Differences, 51, 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.08.016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaushanskaya, M. (2012). Cognitive mechanisms of word learning in bilingual and monolingual adults: The role of phonological memory. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15, 470–489. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728911000472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kintsch, W. (1970). Models for free recall and recognition. In D. A. Norman (Ed.), Models of human memory (pp. 331–373). New York: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kormos, J., & Sáfár, A. (2008). Phonological short-term memory, working memory and foreign language performance in intensive language learning. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 11, 261–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leahy, W., & Sweller, J. (2011). Cognitive load theory, modality of presentation and the transient information effect. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25, 943–951.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linck, J. A., Hughes, M. M., Campbell, S. G., Silbert, N. H., Tare, M., Jackson, S. R., et al. (2013). Hi-LAB: A new measure of aptitude for high-level language proficiency. Language Learning, 63(3), 530–566. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linck, J. A., Osthus, P., Koeth, J. T., & Bunting, M. F. (2014). Working memory and second language comprehension and production. Psychonomic Bulletin Review, 21, 861–883. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-013-0565-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Majerus, S., Poncelet, M., Elsen, B., & Van Der Linden, M. (2006). Exploring the relationship between verbal short-term memory for serial order and item information and new word learning in adults. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 18, 848–873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Majerus, S., Poncelet, M., Van der Linden, M., & Weekes, B. S. (2008). Lexical learning in bilingual adults: The relative importance of short-term memory for serial order and phonological knowledge. Cognition, 107, 395–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, K. I., & Ellis, N. C. (2012). The roles of phonological short-term memory and working memory in L2 grammar and vocabulary learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 34, 379–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulder, E., Van De Ven, M., Segers, E., & Verhoeven, L. (2019). Context, word, and student predictors in second language vocabulary learning. Applied Psycholinguistics, 40, 137–166. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716418000504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nassaji, H. (2003). Higher–level and lower–level text processing skills in advanced ESL reading comprehension. The Modern Language Journal, 87, 261–276. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-4781.00189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, I., Segalowitz, N., Collentine, J., & Freed, B. (2006). Phonological memory and lexical, narrative, and grammatical skills in second language oral production by adult learners. Applied Psycholinguistics, 27, 377–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, I., Segalowitz, N., Freed, B., & Collentine, J. (2007). Phonological memory predicts second language oral fluency gains in adults. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 29, 557–582.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papagno, C., Valentine, T., & Baddeley, A. (1991). Phonological short-term memory and foreign-language vocabulary learning. Journal of Memory and Language, 30, 331–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poncelet, M., & Van der Linden, M. (2003). L’évaluation du stock phonologique de la mémoire de travail : élaboration d’une épreuve de répétition de non-mots pour population francophone. Revue de neuropsychologie, 13, 377–407.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramachandra, V., Hewitt, L. E., & Brackenbury, T. (2011). The relationship between phonological memory, phonological sensitivity, and incidental word learning. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 40, 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-010-9157-8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, P. (2001). Individual differences, cognitive abilities, aptitude complexes and learning conditions in second language acquisition. Second Language Research, 17, 368–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, P. (2002). Effects of individual differences in intelligence, aptitude and working memory on incidental SLA. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Individual differences and instructed language learning (pp. 211–251). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sagarra, N. (2017). Longitudinal effects of working memory of L2 grammar and reading abilities. Second Language Research, 33, 341–363. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658317690577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schock, J., Cortese, M. J., & Khanna, M. M. (2012). Imageability estimates for 3,000 disyllabic words. Behavioral Research Methods, 44, 374–379. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-011-0162-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serafini, E., & Sanz, C. (2016). Evidence for the decreasing impact of cognitive ability on second language development as proficiency increases. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38, 607–646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Service, E. (1992). Phonology, working memory, and foreign-language learning. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 45A, 21–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Service, E., & Kohonen, V. (1995). Is the relation between phonological memory and foreign-language learning accounted for by vocabulary acquisition? Applied Psycholinguistics, 16, 155–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skehan, P. (1998). A cognitive approach to language learning. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sweller, J., Ayres, P., & Kalyuga, S. (2011). Cognitive load theory. New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Verhagen, J., Leseman, P., & Messer, M. (2015). Phonological memory and the acquisition of grammar in child L2 learners. Language Learning, 65, 417–448. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vulchanova, M., Foyn, C. H., Nilsen, R. A., & Sigmundsson, H. (2014). Links between phonological memory, first language competence and second language competence in 10-year-old children. Learning and Individual Differences, 35, 87–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, S. (2007). Learning word pairs and glossed sentences: The effects of a single context on vocabulary knowledge. Language Teaching Research, 11, 63–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168806072463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weekes, B. (2018). Learning written word vocabulary in a second language: Theoretical and practical implications. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 21, 585–597. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728917000141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wen, Z. (2016). Working memory and second language learning: Towards an integrated approach. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wen, Z., Mota, M., & McNeill, A. (Eds.). (2015). Working memory in second language acquisition and processing. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winke, P. (2013). An investigation into second language aptitude for advanced Chinese language learning. The Modern Language Journal, 97, 109–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Geneviève Dunlay, Pascal Rioux-Coulombe, Nathalie Lolomi, and Gaétan Daigle.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de langues, linguistique et traduction, Université Laval, 1030 Boul des sciences humaines, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Kirsten M. Hummel

Authors
  1. Kirsten M. Hummel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kirsten M. Hummel.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (CÉRUL, Comité d’éthique de la recherche de l’Université Laval, 2012-184 R-3/ 05-02-2016) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Appendices

Appendix A

Target words for vocabulary retention test

Appendix B

Sentences in narrated story: Escape on an island

Appendix C

Non word repetition task: stimuli based on French (from Poncelet and Van der Linden 2003)

Appendix D

Serial recognition task: Nonwords based on French (from Abdallah 2010)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hummel, K.M. Phonological Memory and L2 Vocabulary Learning in a Narrated Story Task. J Psycholinguist Res 50, 603–622 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-020-09710-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-020-09710-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation