Working memory plays a fundamental role in multiple facets of our cognitive life (Baddeley, 2017) like learning and processing first and second language. Thus, this study investigated the effect of multimodal input enhancement on working memory capacity and collocation learning across different age groups. The participants were 117 adolescents and adults randomly assigned into two experimental and two control groups. The experimental groups received textual and aural enhanced input, while the control groups received non-enhanced input. The data were collected through Preliminary English Test, n-back test, immediate and delayed posttest of collocations. The results showed that multimodal input enhancement had a positive effect on working memory capacity and recall and retention of collocations in both adolescents and adults. However, adolescents outperformed adults in immediate and delayed tests of collocations and also adolescents adjusted their working memory capacity more than adults in multimodal context. The results also indicated that there was an interaction effect between age and working memory on recall and retention of collocations. Generally, the findings highlight the role of learners’ memory resources and cognitive functioning in processing multimedia input and learning language components. The study has several implications for teachers, teacher training courses, course designers, and curriculum developers.
Mansouri K, Hassaskhah J, Salimi E A. Cognitive Amplification: Exploring the Impact of Multimodal Input Enhancement on Working Memory and Collocation Acquisition in Iranian EFL Learners across Age Groups. IJAL 2023; 26 (2) :2-2 URL: http://ijal.khu.ac.ir/article-1-3209-en.html