Tip-of-the-tongue states and aging

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26381001
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Prefectural University of Hiroshima (2015-2016); Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology (2014)
• Principal Investigator: IJUIN Mutsuo 県立広島大学, 保健福祉学部(三原キャンパス), 教授 (00250192)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): AWATA Shuichi 地方独立行政法人東京都健康長寿医療センター(東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所), 東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所, 研究部長 (90232082) ; KONDO Tadahisa 工学院大学, 情報学部, 教授 (60418548)
• Research Collaborator: WYDELL Taeko N.
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: TOT（喉まで出かかっている現象） / 認知加齢 / 言語的知識 / シミュレーション / コネクショニスト・モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Previous reports have found that older adults do experience more tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states than younger adults. In the present research, we investigated the mechanism of increasing TOT in older adults using two types of approaches - behavioral and computational approaches. In experimental study, we examined whether the age effect is influenced by vocabulary knowledge. The effect of age difference still remained, even when the frequency of TOT was adjusted for vocabulary size.
Computational study was conducted using an artificial neural network model producing word pronunciation from its semantics. After training, when re-learning process was introduced to the network with high values of weight decay (correspond to low levels of metabolic activity), network made more errors in low-frequency proper noun with sparse phonological neighborhoods. These findings suggest that TOT increase with advancing age because normal aging results in a retrieval-processing deficit.

Free Research Field

心理学，認知神経心理学