The Effect Of Working Memory On Sentence Processing Of Second Language Learners

This paper reports the results of a self-paced reading experiment which investigated the effect of working memory on sentence processing in second language (L2). Participants read sentences of varying complexities (low, medium, high) assessed earlier by subjects. The main effects of working memory and sentence complexity were found in both accuracy and question response time. High span readers had higher scores while more response time than low span readers, indicating that working memory affects L2 sentence comprehension. There was no interaction effect between working memory and sentence complexity. The difference was significantly large in accuracy between two groups of subjects in only sentences of low and medium complexity. There was no evident difference in sentences of high complexity in no matter accuracy, main verb reading time or response time, which suggests that the role of working memory is constrained by sentence complexity.