Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)

A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 4. 2019

Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Oct-Dec.)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)

REVIEW ARTICLE

A REVIEW OF SHORT-TERM MEMORY AND LISTENING COMPREHENSION

LI JIALING1*, GUO FANG2

1
Postgraduate of English, School of Foreign Languages, North China Electric Power University.
2
Professor of English, School of Foreign Languages, North China Electric Power University.
E-mail: [email protected]
*
Corresponding Author: [email protected]
（School of Foreign Languages，North China Electric Power University，Beijing 102206, China)
DOI: 10.33329/rjelal.74.380

ABSTRACT

Short term memory is an important topic in the field of second language acquisition.
Listening comprehension is a basic skill in English learning. In recent years, more and
more scholars at home and abroad pay attention to the relationship between them.
It has been shown that short-term memory is an important part of listening
comprehension, and it is of great significance to improve second language listening
comprehension. In this paper, the internal relationship between short-term memory
and listening comprehension is analyzed.

Keywords: short term memory; second language acquisition; listening

comprehension

1. Introduction three types: sensory memory, short-term memory

and long-term memory. The upsurge of short-term
In English listening, there is a phenomenon
memory research began in 1950s to 1970s. Short
worth pondering. Many students have good
term memory refers to the part of memory that
accuracy when they do listening comprehension
temporarily stores the received information. Short
questions, but if they are allowed to retell the
term memory is a kind of mental activity process of
listening materials, their performance will not be
information processing, which is the instantaneous
satisfactory. Even the students with good oral
reflection of human to objective things (Chen Jitang,
English report that it is difficult to retell the materials
2002). At the same time, the information is analyzed
they just heard. Students are also very distressed,
and understood. When the information or content
some of them can't even remember what they
in the sentence is understood, the data will become
understood at that time. One of the important
permanent memory, that is, long-term memory,
factors causing this phenomenon is the limited
while the original sentence itself may gradually
capacity of short-term memory.
disappear from short-term memory (Richards, Platt
2. Short term memory overview & Platt, 2000:283).
Memory plays an important role in Short term memory has two basic
cognitive psychology. According to the duration of characteristics:
memory and the different ways of encoding, storing
and processing information, memory is divided into

380 LI JIALING, GUO FANG

Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 4. 2019
Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Oct-Dec.)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
(1) Limited capacity. American psychologist memory to be further processed and organized to
Miller (1956) first proposed that the capacity of establish a connection with the existing knowledge
short-term memory is 7 ± 2, and proposed the of the individual, so that the information can be
concept of chunk, which means a group of transferred into long-term memory.
meaningful information units stored in memory, one
From 1963 to 1976, Conrad and Wickelgren
of which can help to remember the other. Chunking
& winkens (quoted from Chen Jitang, 2002:37)
can effectively expand the capacity of short-term
conducted experiments from different perspectives
memory. Block is a meaningful unit of information;
and concluded two coding forms: auditory code
chunk is a process of repeatedly organizing items,
form and semantic code form. The auditory code
which is based on similarity or other organizational
based on sound is the main memory code of short-
principles, or based on the information stored in
term memory, and the semantic code based on
long-term memory to form a larger block. Cowan
meaning is the main code of long-term memory.
(2000) put forward different views after careful
research, and he thought that the short-term Craik and Lockhart (1972) proposed the
capacity was 4. Lin Hong (2005) proposed that three principle of deep processing. It is emphasized that
variables play an important role in the effectiveness rote learning is not an effective way of memory.
of listening: one is the amount of information Forgetting begins at the moment when recitation
noticed in sensory memory, the other is the amount stops. Therefore, only through deep meaningful
of information stored in short-term memory, and memory processing can we better remember.
the third is the amount of information with relevant Waugh and Norman (1965) tested whether
background knowledge in long-term memory. the disappearance of short-term memory
Therefore, the feature of chunk integrity extraction information was due to loss or interference.
is helpful to increase the capacity of short-term Experiments show that interference is an important
memory and speed up listening comprehension. The reason. We can reduce the interference to the
improvement of chunking ability is helpful to lowest degree by arranging the information
overcome the problem of isolated listening and structure, that is, reducing the similar items in the
memorizing words. In the process of listening and information.
memorizing, it can reduce the memory burden of
the brain, and reduce the link of absorbing and 3. Short term memory and second language
recombining information alone when answering acquisition
questions. With the development of cognitive
(2) The time is short. The retention time of psychology, short-term memory plays an important
short-term memory is only 5-20 seconds without role in the field of second language acquisition. In
retelling, and the longest time is not more than 1 recent years, some researchers have begun to
minute. Learners can't keep information explore the cognitive and psychological activities of
permanently in short-term memory, because there second language learners from the perspective of
will always be new information coming in and old psychology, and carried out theoretical and
information will be excluded from short-term empirical research around language input and
memory at any time. In the case of short-term output.
memory with retelling, the learning materials kept in The impetus of foreign research mainly
short-term memory will transfer to long-term comes from the following two theoretical
memory. Retelling is a method of storing viewpoints: on the one hand, many second language
information in short-term memory, which can be acquisition researchers (such as Skehan, 1998) take
divided into retention retelling (also known as the classical information processing theory as the
simple retelling and mechanical retelling) and fine basis, and infer that the different learning stages of
retelling (also known as integrated retelling). The second language acquisition and their secondary
latter enables the information in short-term cognitive processes are limited by the Limited

381 LI JIALING, GUO FANG

Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 4. 2019
Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Oct-Dec.)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
Second Language vocabulary and grammar that executive working memory is closely related to
knowledge of second language learners, and need to the development of various second language skills,
rely more on working memory On the other hand, especially for second language learning The complex
many second language acquisition researchers have cognitive skills involved in the process, such as
abandoned Chomsky's general grammar theory in listening, speaking, reading and writing, have
recent years, and turned to learn from the booming significant impact, and can effectively suppress
cognitive science theory to explain the process of interference from the mother tongue (linck, 2014).
second language acquisition, such as connectionism,
The study of short-term memory started late
dynamic system theory (DST), surge The theory of
in China. Researchers have demonstrated the
expressionism and language use. Among them, Ellis
influence of short-term memory on second language
(1996, 2012) advocated to study second language
learning from different perspectives. Wu Qianlong
acquisition from the cognitive perspective of
analyzes the process of second language acquisition
connectionism and construction grammar, and
from the perspective of cognitive psychology and
further explored the influence of working memory
proposes a working memory centered model. GUI
on mother tongue and second language acquisition
Shichun believes that memory plays a central role in
from the theoretical and practical level, and then
language learning and that input should be
thought that working memory (especially
optimized by increasing intelligibility. Wen believes
Working memory plays an indispensable role that working memory is an important component of
in the chunking process of language sequences or foreign language learning ability, which has a
constructions (such as vocabulary, lexical chunks significant impact on foreign language / second
and morphological syntactic constructions) at all language learning. Dai Yuncai and Cai Jinting quoted
levels involved in the whole language learning and in Robinson's point of view, and proposed that working
the consolidation process of the newly acquired memory itself cannot be equated with linguistic
speech sequences into learners' long-term ability, because learning ability complex also
knowledge. contains other cognitive abilities.

Since the concept of working memory was 4. Short term memory and listening
introduced into SLA by Skehan and Ellis, many SLA comprehension
researchers began to learn from the research
Among the four basic skills of listening,
paradigm commonly used in cognitive psychology
speaking, reading and writing, listening is the initial
(especially the theories and measurement methods
perception link and the main way to obtain
of the two working memory camps in Europe and
information. In actual foreign language teaching,
North America), and through different experiments,
listening is the weak link of most learners and the
they studied the relationship between working
main obstacle to normal communication (Yang
memory and SLA from multiple levels. More and
Xueyun, 2009). This situation still exists. Some
more researches show that working memory of
students in the classroom will be faced with the
speech and executive memory not only play an
difficulty of retelling the listening materials. Even if
important role in the acquisition of mother tongue,
they understand at that time, they will not
but also play an important role in the acquisition and
remember what they hear later. One of the
development of different second language
important reasons for this kind of phenomenon is
categories and the learning of second language skills
that the limited capacity of short-term memory
(linck, 2014). First of all, these studies further
leads to the blocked information extraction (Chen
confirm Baddeley's (1998) and Ellis's (1996, 2012)
Jitang, 1997).
argument that phonological working memory not
only affects mother tongue learning (especially In recent years, foreign language researchers
vocabulary acquisition and development), but also have paid attention to the role of long-term memory
applies to second language learning (Baddeley, in the memory system in listening comprehension,
2015); secondly, many empirical studies also show and the importance of short-term memory has been

382 LI JIALING, GUO FANG

Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 4. 2019
Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Oct-Dec.)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
gradually recognized by people (Wang Hongyang, processing, which leads to the significant correlation
Zhou Xiancheng, 2011). Understanding the between listening skills and listening
characteristics of memory, especially short-term comprehension, which has been confirmed in
memory, and analyzing the relationship between relevant research. It can be seen that short-term
short-term memory and listening comprehension memory plays an important role in the process of
can guide learners to use short-term memory theory English listening comprehension.
to improve memory capacity and English listening
(2) Domestic research
level, which is of great practical significance.
The research of domestic scholars started
(1) Foreign research
late, mainly focusing on the solvable input (syntactic
From the perspective of foreign language structure (chunk memory) (listening question type
learning, foreign researchers started to explore the (objective choice question and subjective question
relationship between short-term memory and and answer question)) in listening comprehension.
listening comprehension early, but few studies
In terms of comprehensible input, language
focused on speech and syntax.
acquisition is generated by comprehensible
Phonology is the premise of sentence information. For listening, Xu Fang (2005) took the
understanding, and phonological awareness helps to second year non-English major as the subjects and
improve short-term memory. Cook (1977) tested the memory of short sentences, sentences,
pioneered this research. He took native language words and numbers in turn. The experimental
learners as subjects to investigate the memory results show that the best prediction for listening is
capacity of short-term speech memory and pointed the memory of sentences in isolated sentences and
out that the width of short-term speech memory short passages with plots. The validity of dictation
was significantly related to second language input to second language learners' listening and the
listening comprehension. Yano, Shibuya, Kondo importance of syntactic memory have been
& Nakagawa (2010) also conducted a speech confirmed by relevant research institutes (Yang
awareness test on native language, and found that Xueyun, 2009; Qiu Donglin, Li Hongye, 2010; Zhang
speech awareness is related to short-term memory, Xiaodong, 2014; Zhang Xiaodong, Chen Yinghe,
which is consistent with the results of later studies 2014).
(Linke & Cusack, 2012; odelius, 2015).
The storage of short-term memory is related
Syntax is the core of sentence understanding, to chunking. The limited capacity of short-term
which is of great significance to the understanding of memory can be increased by using chunking units.
foreign language input. Among the existing Bao Xiaoying (2005) applied the rule of short-term
achievements, the most famous one is call (1985). memory to the practice of interpretation. Through
He takes Spanish and Arabic English learners as experimental research, it was found that the unit of
subjects. After listening experiments, the results interpretation is also chunk, and processing
show that short-term memory is an important part information in chunk can improve short-term
of listening comprehension, and syntactic memory memory ability, which is consistent with later
can predict listening skills. Ohata (2006) also research (Feng LAN, 2012; Kang Zhifeng, 2016).
believes that listening comprehension is initially
In addition, the setting of listening questions
limited by short-term memory capacity, but
is also an important factor affecting the listening
syntactic connection can improve its ability. This is
comprehension of the second language learners.
consistent with other empirical studies (Xu, 2009;
There are few studies about this, but it is still
Robertson & joanisse, 2010; Hagiwara &
recognized by some empirical research institutes
kuzumaki, 2013). In fact, listening comprehension is
(Lei Haiyan, 2007; Wang Hongyang, Zhou Xiancheng,
a kind of passive speech input, the listener can not
2011). The research shows that the accuracy of
control its speed, and the load of short-term
multiple choice questions is higher than that of Q
memory is high in the process of listening

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Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.7.Issue 4. 2019
Impact Factor 6.8992 (ICI) http://www.rjelal.com; (Oct-Dec.)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
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