Working memory capacity and L2 speech production in a picture description task with repetition

This study investigates the relationship between working memory capacity and gains in L2 oral performance in a picture description task with repetition. It departs from Fortkamp (2000) who found significant correlations between working memory capacity and measures of L2 speech performance and Bygate's (2001b) findings that when repeating an oral task participants gained in complexity of L2 speech at the expense of accuracy and fluency, to propose that there might be a correlation between gains in complexity of L2 speech and working memory capacity. Results show there are gains in complexity of L2 speech in the second trial of the same task, but these gains do not correlate with working memory capacity. The lack of correlations is explained by the small number of participants, which did not allow for variation in terms of working memory capacity.