Tip of the tongue

This article is about the psychological phenomenon. For the anatomical portion of the tongue, see Anterior tongue.

Tip of the tongue (also known as TOT, or lethologica) is the phenomenon of failing to retrieve a word or term from memory, combined with partial recall and the feeling that retrieval is imminent.[1] The phenomenon's name comes from the saying, "It's on the tip of my tongue."[2][3][4] The tip of the tongue phenomenon reveals that lexical access occurs in stages.[5][6]

People experiencing the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon can often recall one or more features of the target word, such as the first letter, its syllabic stress, and words similar in sound, meaning, or both sound and meaning.[3] Individuals report a feeling of being seized by the state, feeling something like mild anguish while searching for the word, and a sense of relief when the word is found.[3][7] While many aspects of the tip-of-the-tongue state remain unclear, there are two major competing explanations for its occurrence: the direct-access view and the inferential view. Emotion and the strength of the emotional ties to what is trying to be remembered can also have an impact on the TOT phenomenon. The stronger the emotional ties, the longer it takes to retrieve the item from memory.[8]

TOT states should be distinguished from FOK (feeling of knowing) states. FOK, in contrast, is the feeling that one will be able to recognize⁠—from a list of items⁠—an item that is currently inaccessible. There are still currently opposing hypotheses in the psychological literature regarding the separability of the process underlying these concepts. However, there is some evidence that TOTs and FOKs draw on different parts of the brain. TOTs are associated with the anterior cingulate, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and right inferior cortex while FOKs are not.[9] FOKs can be assessed through memory-monitoring testing in which a test subject is asked to "estimate the likelihood" of recognizing when "prompted with a cue" or information that they previously failed to remember.[10][11] This test aims to measure a test subject's accuracy of memory monitoring during the "memory extraction stage".[12][10]

An occasional tip-of-the-tongue state is normal for people of all ages; however, it becomes more frequent as people age.[1] TOT can be referred as an actual medical condition, but only when it becomes frequent enough to interfere with learning or daily life. This disorder is called anomic aphasia when acquired by brain damage, usually from a head injury, stroke, or dementia.[13]

The tip of the tongue phenomenon has implications for research in psycholinguistics, memory, and metacognition.[2]

  1. ^ a b Brown, AS. (Mar 1991). "A review of the tip-of-the-tongue experience". Psychological Bulletin. 109 (2): 204–23. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.109.2.204. PMID 2034750. S2CID 10714865.
  2. ^ a b Schwartz, BL. (Sep 1999). "Sparkling at the end of the tongue: the etiology of tip-of-the-tongue phenomenology" (PDF). Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 6 (3): 379–93. doi:10.3758/bf03210827. PMID 12198776.
  3. ^ a b c Brown, Roger; McNeill, David (1966). "The "tip of the tongue" phenomenon" (PDF). Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior. 5 (4): 325–337. doi:10.1016/S0022-5371(66)80040-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  4. ^ Rastle, Kathleen G.; Burke, Deborah M. (1996). "Priming the Tip of the Tongue: Effects of Prior Processing on Word Retrieval in Young and Older Adults". Journal of Memory and Language. 35 (4): 586–605. doi:10.1006/jmla.1996.0031. S2CID 13884102.
  5. ^ Beattie, G.; Coughlan, J. (Feb 1999). "An experimental investigation of the role of iconic gestures in lexical access using the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon". Br J Psychol. 90 (1): 35–56. doi:10.1348/000712699161251. PMID 10085545.
  6. ^ Schwartz, BL.; Metcalfe, J. (Jul 2011). "Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states: retrieval, behavior, and experience". Memory & Cognition. 39 (5): 737–49. doi:10.3758/s13421-010-0066-8. PMID 21264637.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference James was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Schwartz, BL (Jan 2001). "The relation of the tip-of-the-tongue states and retrieval time". Memory & Cognition. 117 (1): 117–126. doi:10.3758/BF03195746. PMID 11277455 – via doi:10.3758/BF03195746. PMID 11277455.
  9. ^ Schwartz, Bennett L. (Apr 2006). "Tip-of-the-tongue states as metacognition" (PDF). Metacognition and Learning. 1 (2): 149–158. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.529.2568. doi:10.1007/s11409-006-9583-z. S2CID 6611486. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  10. ^ a b Yu, Hui, Wang, Kai, Zhong, Ping, Cheng, Huai-Dong, Lv, Xin-Yi, Yuan, Li-Li. Investigations of memory monitoring in individuals with subjective cognitive decline and amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. 2020;33(3):201-207. doi:10.1097/WNN.0000000000000242.
  11. ^ Irak M, Soylu C, Turan G, et al. 2019. Neurobiological basis of feeling ofknowing in episodic memory. Cogn Neurodyn. 13:239–256.doi:10.1007/s11571-019-09520-5
  12. ^ Seelye AM, Schmitter-Edgecombe M, Flores J. 2010. Episodic memory predictions in persons with amnestic and nonamnestic mild cognitive impairment. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 32:433–441. doi:10.1080/13803390903201751
  13. ^ Howarth, Robyn Ann. "Examining the neurocognitive profile of dysnomia: a comparison of school-aged children with and without dyslexia across the domains of expressive language, attention/memory, and academic achievement". University of Iowa. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-23. Dysnomia is the inability to retrieve the correct word from memory when it is needed