Tehran University of Medical Sciences Auditory and Vestibular Research 2423-480X 25 3 2016 10 09 145 152 EN Marzieh Kardooni Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ali Mohammadzadeh Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ahmad Reza Nazeri Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaee Department of Basic Sciences, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Marzieh Amiri Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran 2016 08 15 2016 08 27 Background and Aim: Although recent research has revealed the positive effects of bilin­gualism on children's cognitive abilities, little information is available on the relationship bet­ween bilingualism and working memory. Working memory is generally composed of four dis­tinct parts, among which the phonological loop plays an important role in speech and language development, reading skills, and learning. In the present study, bilingual and monolingual stude­nts were compared in terms of auditory-verbal memory performance, using Rey auditory-verbal learning test. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the auditory-verbal memory performance of 56 monolingual and 55 bilingual students were assessed, using the Persian version of Rey auditory-verbal learning test. The study samples were selected among students in the fifth and sixth grades of primary school. Finally, the scores obtained on the test were compared between the two groups. Results: The mean scores of stages 1-5, 7, and 8 of Rey test were 48.71 (SD=6.71) out of 75, 10.25 (SD=2.29) out of 15, and 10.50 (SD=2.27) out of 15 in monolinguals and 53.54 (SD=5.24), 11.80 (SD=2.13), and 11.98 (SD=1.88) in bilinguals, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the scores of the two groups (p<0.001, p=0.001, and p=0.001, respectively). Conclusion: In the present study, the bilingual group showed a significantly better auditory-verbal memory performance, compared to their monolingual peers, based on the Rey auditory-verbal learning test. Therefore, it can be concluded that bilingualism may have a positive impact on auditory-verbal working memory. https://avr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/avr/article/view/109 https://avr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/avr/article/download/109/57