Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Working memory (WM) plays a prominent role in SLA because adult SLA requires additional computation and activation, which in turn imposes extra load on WM resources. This article offers a comprehensive update to the field of WM and SLA. The first section outlines the main WM models and tests used in European and North American L2 research and proposes methodological recommendations. The second and third sections summarize research examining WM effects on L2 comprehension, production, vocabulary, and grammar (Section 2), as well as L2 morphological, morphosyntactic, and syntactic processing (Section 3). Studies in each of these areas have yielded mixed findings and show that data variability is due to L2 experience (L2 proficiency, L2 daily use) and task cognitive demands, rather than task explicitness, as suggested by some scholars. The fourth section shows that low WM span learners can benefit from cognitive training in the form of intensive training taking WM tasks or activating multiple languages that compete for selection, a common practice in simultaneous bilinguals (bilingual advantage) and in professional simultaneous interpreters (interpreter advantage). The final section reflects on the main findings presented in the previous sections and proposes specific pedagogical interventions.</jats:p>