Working memory capacity and expertise effect of simultaneous interpreter

The present study investigates the relationship between expertise effect of simultaneous interpreter and the working memory capacity. In the present study, a standard reading span test was employed to measure the working memory capacity among three different groups of participants (university students without training in simultaneous interpreting; university students with basic training in simultaneous interpreting and professional interpreters). The recall performance from the group of professional interpreters was clearly superior to the other two groups of participants and hence demonstrated a larger working memory capacity (i.e. strong expertise effect). The results will be interpreted in terms of the multicomponent working memory model.