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ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3430-8377
Date of Graduation
5-14-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Kethera Fogler Moore
Second Advisor
Jeff Dyche
Third Advisor
Taj Rollins-Roher
Abstract
Proper names belong to a distinct class of lexical items that pose challenges for encoding and retrieval across people of all ages. Unlike common nouns, and the exception of nicknames, proper names are arbitrary relative to their referent. Forgetting someone’s name is not only seen as a social faux pas but may be particularly concerning for older adults due to its interpretation as a cognitive decline indicator. Prior research has shown that when names are physically descriptive of their referent (e.g., a giraffe called ‘Lengthy’), they are better learned and recalled; however, the extent to which descriptiveness without a visual cue aids recall is less clear. Current research investigated whether proper names that are semantically related to the referent’s hobby reduce retrieval errors relative to non-related and arbitrary names. Error patterns were assessed across younger and older adult age groups, expanding age-related research in associative retrieval. Participants (younger adults: ages 18-30 and older adults: 60-80) studied the faces of 10 men, each with a name-hobby pairing that was either semantically related (e.g., Forrest/camping) or non-related (e.g., Forrest/poker). During the test phase, participants recalled both the name and hobby. Responses were scored for accuracy in three ways: strict scoring (phonologically exact), semi-lenient scoring of obvious typo-intrusions (e.g., Robbim), and a lenient scoring (Rob). Age-related differences were analyzed in overall accuracy, as well as a discussion of the various types of errors committed. The findings make meaningful contributions to theoretical explanations for proper name deficits across both age groups.
