A Study of Working Memory and Vocabulary Learning in Taiwanese College Students

本研究旨在驗證一項關於記憶力之假設，其假設主張學習者「字彙記憶廣度」之個別差異能成功預測其第二語言字彙學習的成就。受試者是以中文為母語、以英文為外語的台灣大學生。這些受試者接受兩項從魏氏記憶測驗第三版（Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition）改編的記憶測試。在第一項測驗中，受試者聽完12個不同的單字播放後，須覆誦所記得的單字。第二項測驗是以兩個單字為一字組的聯想記憶測驗。受試者聽完每一字組的第一個單字後，必須說出該字組的另一個單字。兩項測驗分別以英文和中文進行一次。之後將受試者在中、英文測驗中的表現作一比較，檢視兩項測驗結果是否有任何重要的相關性。本研究之結果對於字彙學習在理論和實務上的意涵，於文中有詳盡的討論。

關鍵字

字彙記憶廣度；字彙習得；工作記憶；回憶

並列摘要

This study tested the hypothesis that individual differences in verbal memory span would predict success in second language vocabulary acquisition. The subjects were native Chinese speakers learning English as a foreign language at university in Taiwan. The subjects were given two memory tests adapted from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition; the first test involved the recall of a list of 12 verbally presented words, and the second test was a verbal paired associates test. Each test was given in Chinese and in English. The subjects' performances on the two tests were compared to see any significant correlation between scores in the Chinese version of the tests and the English version. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings for vocabulary learning are discussed.