Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Aging Clin Exp Res. 2012 Dec;24(6):647-56. doi: 10.3275/8586. Epub 2012 Sep 5.
It is well known that tip-of-the-tongue (ToT) states, which are due to failure in the phonological activation of words, especially proper names, are more common in older than in younger adults. Nevertheless, the relationship between increased numbers of ToTs and cognitive aging remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to clarify this relationship by examining ToT production and the performance of cognitive tasks such as working memory and processing speed tests.
In order to study the relationships between these constructs, the performance of 133 participants in different language, working memory and processing speed tasks was analysed by use of LISREL software.
The best fit model included direct and indirect effects of age, mediated by cognitive variables, on lexical production variables. The model incorporated the indirect effects of age on vocabulary through working memory and also the indirect effect of age on ToT through processing speed.
The results indicate negative modulation of slowed processing in the age-related increase of ToT and positive modulation of working memory in vocabulary, as well as an absence of any relation between vocabulary and ToT. Assuming that ToT events involve controlled processes, the relationship between slowed processing and ToT in aging could be interpreted as reflecting controlled compensatory mechanisms.
众所周知，舌尖现象（ToT），即由于单词的语音激活失败而导致的现象，尤其是专有名词，在老年人中比在年轻人中更为常见。然而，ToT 数量的增加与认知老化之间的关系仍不清楚。本研究的目的是通过检查 ToT 的产生以及工作记忆和处理速度测试等认知任务的表现来阐明这种关系。
为了研究这些结构之间的关系，使用 LISREL 软件分析了 133 名参与者在不同语言、工作记忆和处理速度任务中的表现。
最佳拟合模型包括年龄的直接和间接影响，通过认知变量介导，对词汇产生变量有影响。该模型纳入了工作记忆中介的年龄对词汇量的间接影响，以及处理速度中介的年龄对 ToT 的间接影响。
结果表明，在与年龄相关的 ToT 增加中，处理速度的减慢呈负调节，而工作记忆对词汇量呈正调节，并且词汇量与 ToT 之间没有任何关系。假设 ToT 事件涉及到受控过程，那么在衰老过程中处理速度减慢与 ToT 之间的关系可以被解释为反映了受控的补偿机制。
