Wes is at a party and is introduced to a woman. They chat for awhile and Wes tries to remember the woman's name but cannot. The inability to remember the name of someone he just met is most likely the result of _____________.
A. misattribution
B. encoding failure
C. retrieval failure
D. transience
Answer (2)
Wes's failure to remember the woman's name is due to encoding failure, meaning he did not effectively process the information when they met. Other memory issues like misattribution, retrieval failure, or transience do not apply in this context. Thus, the best answer is option B.
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The inability to remember the name of someone Wes just met is most likely the result of b) encoding failure .
Here's how it works:
Encoding Failure:
Encoding is the process of converting information into a form that can be stored in the brain. When we meet someone new, our brain needs to encode that person's name into memory for us to remember it later.
In Wes's case, if his brain did not successfully encode the woman's name when he first heard it, he would not be able to recall it later. This failure can happen if Wes was distracted or not paying full attention during the introduction.
Why Encoding Failure Occurs:
Lack of attention: Wes might have been thinking about something else or talking about something interesting that caught his attention, causing him to miss the new information entirely.
Overload of information: A party can be an overwhelming environment with lots of things going on, making it harder to focus on just one piece of new information.
Difference from Other Options:
Misattribution happens when memories are assigned to the wrong source. In this context, it would involve Wes remembering a different name but attributing it to the wrong person.
Retrieval failure refers to when the brain has stored the information but cannot retrieve it at the moment. This is different from encoding failure because retrieval failure suggests the information is there, just not accessible.
Transience is the gradual loss of a memory over time, which is unlikely to be the case here since Wes just met the woman.
Overall, the most fitting explanation for Wes's inability to remember the woman's name is likely an encoding failure, as it centers on the initial process of learning and storing the information.
