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Name that tune: eliciting the tip-of-the-tongue experience using auditory stimuli
D M Riefer1, M K Kevari, D L Kramer
1Department of Psychology, California State University, San Bernardino 92407-2397, USA. driefer@wiley.csusb.edu.
Psychological Reports
|December 1, 1995
Summary
Auditory stimuli, like TV theme songs, can trigger the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) state in 21% of people. This memory phenomenon, more common in women, often includes partial show details and accurate recognition among choices.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
- Auditory Perception
Background:
- The tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) state is a common subjective feeling of knowing information that is temporarily inaccessible.
- Previous research has primarily focused on verbal or visual stimuli to induce TOT states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether auditory stimuli, specifically television theme songs, can elicit the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) state.
- To characterize the nature of auditory-induced TOT experiences and compare them to TOT states elicited by other modalities.
Main Methods:
- Participants listened to segments of 50 television theme songs.
- They were asked to recall the corresponding show title.
- Data were collected on retrieval success, TOT experiences, and characteristics of recalled information.
Main Results:
- Twenty-one percent of retrieval attempts resulted in a TOT state.
- Women reported TOT experiences more frequently than men.
- TOT states often contained partial information (characters, actors, plot) and allowed accurate genre/era identification and recognition among distractors.
- Intrusions were infrequent and semantically related.
Conclusions:
- Auditory stimuli can effectively induce tip-of-the-tongue states.
- These states share similarities with TOTs from other modalities but may have unique characteristics.
- Further research can explore the cognitive mechanisms underlying auditory-induced memory retrieval failures.
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