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This book provides a comprehensive overview of research on the tip-of-the-tongue state: the feeling that a word is on the verge of coming to mind. It will be of value to students and researchers in psychology, neuroscience, medicine and philosophy.
List of contents
1. Introduction and History of Research on Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) States; 2. Methodology: How Researchers Study the Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) State; 3. Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) States in the Lab and in the World; 4. TOT State Etiology: What Causes a TOT State?; 5. Phenomenology: What Is It Like to Have a Word on the Tip of the Tongue?; 6. Flipping the Script: Tip-of-the-Tongue-State-Related Biases; 7. It's Not all Bad: The Benefits of the Tip-of-the-Tongue State and Its Related Biases; 8. TOT States Early and Late in Life: Developmental Aspects of TOT States; 9. Toward an Understanding of the Neural Basis of the Tip-of-the-Tongue Experience; 10. Related Phenomena: Other Tip-of's; 11. Tying It All Together: Conclusions and Future Directions.
About the author
Anne M. Cleary is Professor of Psychology at Colorado State University. Her research examines odd memory phenomena like déjà vu through the perspective of their potential usefulness, for instance in driving goal-oriented behavior. She has published over seventy professional articles and book chapters as well as three books, including The Déjà vu Experience (2nd Edition, 2021), and Memory Quirks (2020).Bennett L. Schwartz is Professor of Psychology at Florida International University. His work on metacognition and memory in both humans and non-humans has been published in more than 100 journal articles, books, and book chapters. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the journal Memory & Cognition.
Summary
The tip-of-the-tongue state-the feeling that something that we cannot recall is close to coming to mind-is a window onto many facets of the human mind. It lies at an intersection where memory mechanisms, language processes, attention, metacognition, conscious awareness, goal-driven behaviours, curiosity, and even decision-making and risk-taking all seem to cross. In this book, Anne Cleary and Bennett Schwartz explain how tip-of-the-tongue states fit into our overall cognitive systems and what they tell us about the nature of cognition and consciousness. The tip-of-the-tongue state can wield enormous power over our attentional focus and what we choose to do next, regardless of what we had been doing before the onset of the feeling. In short, it wields the ability to redirect our mind. Cleary and Schwartz's text will appeal to students and researchers interested in the workings of the mind and brain.
Foreword
This book offers a novel perspective on the nature of tip-of-the-tongue states, linking classic work with new research developments.
