At this juncture, I hope that I have clearly demonstrated that the proposed integrated framework for theorizing and measuring the WM construct in SLA research not only carries perceivable theoretical advantages, but is also laden with implications for the practical issues relating to SLA. In this final chapter, I further explore the integrated WM–SLA approach by outlining its overarching implications not only for applied linguistics, but also in the broader context of human cognition and bilingualism (cf. Doughty & Long, 2003).

As such, this chapter is organized into four sections. The first reiterates the fundamental claims of the P/E model and its theoretical and methodological ramifications for SLA. Then, the second section moves on to identify some remaining conceptual and methodological challenges in exploring this WM–SLA nexus and pinpoints possible directions for future research from relevant fields in the cognitive sciences (cf. Miller, 2003) and applied linguistics. Finally, the book ends by making an ultimate call for concerted efforts from these multiple disciplines to further elucidate the underlying cognitive functions that subserve L2 acquisition/learning, processing, performance and development.

Implications of the Integrated Approach

It is evident that the basic premise of the phonological/executive (P/E) WM model or theory lies in its fundamental postulation that specific SLA domains and activities distinctively draw on the multiple mechanisms and functions associated with the two key putative WM components: PWM and EWM. This basic tenet of the P/E model can be expected to have significant theoretical and methodological ramifications for future research in both areas, WM and SLA, and each is discussed below.

Reconceptualization of WM in SLA research

More specifically, PWM, as postulated in the P/E model, is closely linked to the efficiency of acquiring novel (not familiar) phonological forms and plays an instrumental role in the retention and consolidation of chunk-based, serial-order information (such as linguistic sequences). On this basis, the P/E model posits that PWM underlies the acquisitional and developmental areas of the SLA domains and activities.