Plain English Meaning

It's when you knew something, but right now you can't bring it to mind. The knowledge is still there — you just can't get to it when you need it.

Full Definition

A type of forgetting in which information that was learned and stored in memory cannot be brought back into conscious awareness when needed, even though the information itself has not been lost. The memory exists, but the learner cannot access it at that moment.

Context Anchor

Seen in aviation instruction when a student pilot cannot remember a procedure, rule, checklist step, or fact during a lesson, checkride, or flight situation.

Derivation

Retrieval comes from the Old French retrover, meaning 'to find again.' Failure here simply means the act of finding again did not succeed. The word reflects the idea that the memory is not gone — the search for it just came up empty.