It's on the tip of my tongue!

Have you ever had a word stuck on the tip of your tongue?

You might assume that if you think about it long enough and finally remember the word that you will be more likely to recall that same word in the future.  In fact the opposite may be true!  Time spent in a "tip-of-the tongue state" reinforces the pattern that caused you to forget the word in the first place.

A study which appeared in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests that the next time you have a word on the tip of your tongue you should immediately look it up or ask someone.  Then say it to yourself therefore creating a new memory regarding the word!