The Strategic Control of Retrieval during Tip-of-the-tongue States

The Strategic Control of Retrieval during Tip-of-the-tongue States

The tip-of-the-tongue state (TOT) is the phenomenological experience that a word is on the verge of being recalled. This study adapted the Nelson-Narens (1990) model to examine TOTs' role in the strategic control of retrieval. It was hypothesized that TOTs would predict retrieval strategy decisions. Following failures to recall targets to general-information questions, participants made TOT judgments and decisions concerning retrieval strategies. In the metacognitive control condition (MCC), participants chose retrieval strategies for each target. Participants chose to direct search immediately, to delay search, or to see the answer (i.e., consultation). In the no-control condition (NCC), strategies were assigned randomly for each target. The results showed that more decisions were made to search when in TOTs than when not in TOTs. In line with metacognitive theory, more TOTs, but not "don't know" items, were resolved (eventually recalled) in the MCC condition than in the NCC condition.