Vocabulary acquisition by young Greek learners of L2 English The predictive role of Complex Working Memory in Early Foreign Language Learning

The article reports the results of a longitudinal research that took place during 2010-12 in two primary schools in Thessaloniki. It is part of a larger research which explored the cognitive impact of Early Foreign Language Learning (EFLL), in relation to Foreign Language (FL) Aptitude, Phonological Short-term Memory (PSTM) and Complex Working Memory (CWM). The findings suggest that EFLL has a boosting effect on children’s cognitive skills, while the critical predictor of early FL vocabulary performance is the central executive of Working Memory