Lisa Abrams

Lisa Abrams’ (2008) article explored difficulty recalling words in different populations and the cognitive processes that cause the resolution of these occurrences. Abrams’ (2008) conducted a multitude of studies surrounding what she referred to as a tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) state and a pop-up resolution. A TOT state refers to the inability to retrieve a word an individual is familiar with. TOT states increase as an individual grows older, and can cause extreme frustration (Abrams, 2008). Abrams (2008) explained the resolution of these states are referred to as pop-up resolutions. When an individual stops thinking about the target word, it will suddenly pop into their mind. Although the article was easy to understand, it lacked formality due to the use of first-person language and colloquialisms. In addition, there was an absence of validity and reliability statistics provided throughout the article. However, Abrams’ (2008) succinct language, thorough background, and explanation of her

Abrams’ (2008) explained the speech process is initiated by a nonverbal message, which is described as a general idea of what an individual wants to say. Subsequently, words are selected to translate the message, this is referred to as a lexical access. The lexical access is defined by two processes known as the lemma and phonology. The lemma contains the syntax, or the grammatical context of the word, in addition to the semantics, or meanings of the words. The sounds that form to create the word are known as the phonology of the word. Abrams (2008) explained TOT states occur when the lemma is selected but the phonology is absent. According to Abrams (2008) there are three foremost causes of TOT states: low frequency of use, lack of recent use, and normal aging. Abrams (2008) and her graduate students conducted several studies to learn more about the mechanisms behind TOT