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Lexical retrieval: The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Susan E. Kohn ,
Arthur Wingfield ,
Lise Menn ,
Harold Goodglass ,
Jean Berko Gleason  and
Mary Hyde
Susan E. Kohn
Affiliation:
Boston VA Medical Center and Aphasia Research Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine
Arthur Wingfield
Affiliation:
Boston VA Medical Center and Aphasia Research Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine
Lise Menn
Affiliation:
Boston VA Medical Center and Aphasia Research Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine
Harold Goodglass*
Affiliation:
Boston VA Medical Center and Aphasia Research Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine
Jean Berko Gleason
Affiliation:
Boston VA Medical Center and Aphasia Research Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine
Mary Hyde
Affiliation:
Boston VA Medical Center and Aphasia Research Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine
*
Harold Goodglass, Aphasia Research Center, 150 S. Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130
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Abstract

An experiment is reported in which university undergraduates were given word definitions and asked to say aloud all responses that came to mind in the course of their attempts to retrieve the target words. Results showed that phonologically similar responses and word-fragments are good predictors of target word knowledge and the likelihood of eventual success in retrieval. Responses which were semantically related to the target word were less predictive of eventual success. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for interpreting tip-of-the-tongue analyses as a “window” on the process of word retrieval.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , September 1987 , pp. 245 - 266
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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References

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