Abstract
Whether multiple conscious efforts at word search
bring a subject closer to an elusive word and to eventual
successful retrieval remains a subject of debate. Previous
work with normal participants has shown that multiple attempts
eventuating in correct retrieval are not usually associated
with a systematic progression toward target word phonology
in the intervening attempts. In this study we analyzed
the naming errors produced by 30 aphasic patients who had
received the Boston Naming Test. The analyses were designed
to elucidate the characteristics of responses that led
to eventual success. Our data showed that among aphasics,
as with normal subjects, the presence of target-initial
phonology in the subject's first response was the
most important predictor of correct retrieval. Moreover,
progression towards target phonology in the course of multiple
attempts was unrelated to eventual correct retrieval. (JINS,
1997, 3, 128–138.)