Question

While with a group of friends at a dance, Eva bumps into a man she dated last month. But when she tries to introduce him to her friends, she cannot remember his name. What is the term for this occurrence?

Short answer

The term for this occurrence is 'retrieval failure'.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Scenario

This is a scenario where Eva is unable to recall the name of a person she has met before. According to psychology, this is a common phenomenon which could be due to several reasons such as stress, multitasking, or simply the limitations of human memory.

Identify the Term

The psychological term for forgetting something like a name is a form of memory failure known as 'retrieval failure'. Retrieval failure is a phenomenon where, despite having the knowledge in memory, we are unable to retrieve it when needed.

Answer the Question

Given the scenario and the definition of 'retrieval failure', it can be inferred that Eva is experiencing this phenomenon.