The Center
For
Cognitive Science
Cognitive Science Colloquium
Wednesday, 20 April 2011, 2:00 P.M.
280 Park Hall
Zenzi M. Griffin
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin
Retrieving Personal Names
Personal names differ from object names in being more prone to tip-of-the-tongue states, harder
to learn, and particularly vulnerable to deficits with brain damage (for review, see Valentine,
Brennen, & Brédart 1996). I will discuss results of a study examining the types of substitution
errors parents make in addressing their children, which has been the impetus for further research
on the use and processing of personal names.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Griffin, Zenzi M. (2010), "Retrieving Personal Names, Referring Expressions, and Terms of
Address", in B. Ross (ed.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation (San Diego, CA:
Elsevier), Vol. 53, pp. 345–387.