为什么会出现“舌尖现象”?——TOT现象发生机制之争

Why TOT Occurs?—Argument Among TOT's Machine Processed Theory

舌尖现象(tip-of-the-tongue,TOT)是一种普遍发生的现象,但是发生TOT的对象、情景、机制等却是特殊和复杂的。因此,它引起了研究者的关注,尤其是在其产生机制上更是存在着很多争论。国外研究者提出了部分激活理论、传递缺陷理论、障碍物假说、神经网络模型、元认知理论等。但研究者大多都基于单一条件或情景来探讨TOT的产生,因此提出的理论的使用范围,解释广度等均有局限。关于TOT依然有许多疑惑,同时也存在值得探讨的课题。

The tip-of-the-tongue（TOT） phenomenon is common in our daily life,but its object,scene and mechanism are specific and complicated.And above all,its mechanism has been the focus of debates for decades.Therefore,our aim is to discuss different mechanisms of tip-of-the-tongue form its beginning,and make some comments of our own. The Partial Activation Theory first explained how TOT happens,and mauntained the cause of TOT was that the target word can＇t be activated sufficiently.Some researchers support this theory according to the results of their own experiments,while some others challenge it.They adopted different experimental paradigms,materials,or recording methods,and accordingly yielded their results in opposition to the Partial Activation Theory.So researchers put forward a new theory,the Transmission Deficit Hypothesis to resolve these disputes.The Transmission Deficit hypothesis believes that it is the fissures in language production that cause TOT and the fissures often appear at the links of the phonetic system and the semantic system.These two theories can make clear many problems about TOT,but have a great defect in explaining why TOT often is accompanied by many related words.The inhibitory hypothesis can solve this problem correctly.Its viewpoint is that TOT is caused by the interference of related words.These related words and target words either have phonological correlation or semantic correlation.But with the development of technology and science,new theories of TOT were also put forward such as the Quantitative Neural Network model and the Metacognitive Control, The Quantitative Neural Network Model based on the Two-layer Artificial Neural Network（ANN） of memory that supports words＇ low frequency and high difficulty destroy the ANN,and then cause the TOT.The Metacognitive Control theory believes at TOT is a statement that monitors cognitive processes incompletely,which means TOT is a kind of metacognitive judgment but not a statement of retrieval failure briefly. According to our own analysis,these theories are not exclusive,and different hypotheses explain TOT in different ways from different perspectives.Although the Partial Activation Theory,Transmission Deficit Hypothesis and Inhibitory hypothesis,all account for TOT from the angle of language production,the Partial Activation Theory emphasizes the extent of activation,and the Transmission Deficit Hypothesis stresses the continuity of activation.Meanwhile,Inhibitory Hypothesis underlines the activation＇s competitiveness.The Quantitative Neural Network Model in an attempts to embrace all of them explains TOT comprehensively.The Metacognitive Control Theory insists TOT is just a subjective feeling.What＇s more,a large number of factors the such as experimental paradigms,language,experimental materials,experimenters＇ guidance to subjects,etc.may influence the study results. In a word,no theory is perfect,and the truth or fallacy and effectiveness of a theory can only be discussed in a certain condition. The novelty of this thesis lies in the fact that it offers directions for future study in the context of the Chinese language.At the end of this thesis,we put forward more than 6 research topics,in the hope that better results will be obtained in the future.