Exploring the Relationship Between Modified Output and Working Memory Capacity

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between learners' production of modified output and their working memory (WM) capacity. The task-based interactions of 42 collegelevel, native English-speaking learners of Spanish as a foreign language were examined. A relationship was found between learners' WM test scores and their tendency to modify output. Specifically, greater processing capacity was related to greater production of modified output during interaction.Keywords second language acquisition (SLA); modified output; working memory capacity; interaction; task-based research; corrective feedback Participation in conversational interaction has been argued to facilitate second language (L2) learning in a number of ways Mackey et al. Modified Output and Working Memory Capacitywork, carried out with both children and adults in classroom and laboratory settings, has demonstrated the benefits not only of interaction as a whole but also of a variety of specific interactional processes (Braidi, 2002;de la Fuente,

Input modality and working memory: Effects on second language text comprehension in a multimedia learning environment

“…Given the assumed superiority of audiovisual presentation over visual-only presentation in terms of reducing extraneous load, thereby making it possible to reserve more WM resources for dealing with intrinsic load, WM was expected to foster comprehension especially in the audiovisual presentation rather than the visual-only one over time. Finally, given the relationship between WM capacity and processing oral L2 input (e.g., Erlam, 2005;Mackey, Adams, Stafford, & Winke, 2010;Mackey, Philp, Fujii, Egi, & Tatsumi, 2002), it is reasonable to assume that the more challenging nature of L2 listening compared to L2 reading can be addressed more effectively by higher WM capacity. Overall, this study addressed the following research question:…”

Interaction Approach in Second Language Acquisition

“…Accordingly, L2 interaction researchers have recently begun to investigate this potential relationship between WM and interactional benefi ts (e.g., Trofi movich, Ammar, & Gatbonton, 2007;Mackey, Adams, Stafford, & Winke, 2010;Mackey & Sachs, in press). In Mackey et al (2010), learners with higher working-memory capacity (WMC) showed a tendency to produce more modifi ed output than those with lower WMC. Mackey and Sachs (in press) recently conducted a study with nine elderly Spanish-speaking learners of English (mean age: 72) and found a signifi cant association between WM (L1 listening span) and the development of English question forms.…”

Working Memory in Second Language Acquisition

“…Mackey, Philp, Egi, Fujii, and Tatsumi's (2002) study on question forms in English revealed that only high-WMC learners were able to notice recasts in the long run and that high WM was also related to more prolonged and delayed accuracy gains. More recently, Mackey, Adams, Stafford, and Winke (2010) found that high-WMC learners modifi ed their output following interactional feedback more frequently than their low-WMC counterparts. Similar fi ndings have also been reported in computer-mediated contexts.…”