# MEMORY AND LANGUAGE IN OLD AGE

> **NIH NIH R01** · POMONA COLLEGE · 1993 · $101,112

## Abstract

The proposed research investigates age-related declines in retrieval
processes fundamental to language and memory.  Although there is little
evidence for age-related changes in language comprehension processes
involved in the retrieval of word meaning, there is considerable
evidence for age-related declines in production processes involved in
retrieval of phonological codes for words.  Indeed, older adults
complain that impairments in retrieving well known words, as in the tip
of the tongue experience, are a vexing problem in everyday life.  This
asymmetric effect of age on language processes is investigated in the
context of the general hypothesis that aging weakens connections among
representational units in memory, reducing the transmission of
activation among units.  The research identifies the contribution of
semantic and phonological activation to age-related retrieval deficits.
Thus, the research investigates cognitive operations that underlie the
production and comprehension of language in everyday life.  Moreover, it
will contribute to the identification of conditions that either
exacerbate or mitigate older adults' word finding problem.

Four sets of experiments are proposed.  Experiments 1-3 investigate
whether there are age-related deficits in retrieval of phonological but
not semantic information in auditory word recognition.  Experiments 4-5
examine phonological and semantic retrieval processes in tasks that
model word production during spontaneous speech, namely picture naming
and production of a word corresponding to a definition.  Experiments 6-7
test whether tip of the tongue states are caused by insufficient
activation or by blocking with alternate words, and whether these
mechanisms account for age-related increases in word finding failures.
We also examine the mechanism responsible for resolution of tip of the
tongue states and how it is affected by aging.  Experiments 8-9
investigate whether age-related changes in laboratory-induced slips of
the tongue can be predicted by age deficits in phonological activation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3120599
- **Project number:** 2R01AG008835-04
- **Recipient organization:** POMONA COLLEGE
- **SAM.gov UEI:** Q9VBQSV2CBY5
- **Principal Investigator:** Deborah M Burke
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $101,112
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1990-02-01 → 1995-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3120599

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3120599, MEMORY AND LANGUAGE IN OLD AGE (2R01AG008835-04). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3120599. Licensed CC0.

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