The Effect of Phonological Short-Term Memory on L2 Vocabulary Development in L1 Persian Learners with Down Syndrome

In this study, the influence of phonological short-term memory on English language vocabulary development in Persian learners with Down syndrome was investigated. This study was carried out based on Baddeleys’ model of working memory (2000). Participants’ phonological short-term memory and their ability in learning L2 vocabularies were examined. The data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software. The results of this study indicated that the individuals with Down syndrome were able to learn L2 vocabularies. However, there were not any significant correlations between measures of phonological short-term memory and those of L2 vocabulary development. This suggests that the participants may not have employed the same kind of cognitive resources in the measures of phonological short-term memory and L2 vocabulary development. The lack of correlations between these two variables could be due to the participants’ use of other cognitive resources. This provides further support for the idea that with multiple abilities in working memory, individuals make up for weaknesses in some areas by using other strengths.

Keywords:

Phonological short-term memory , Down syndrome , L2 vocabulary development , Word span test , Digit span test