Memory inhibition
Memory effect
The mind's ability to hold back irrelevant or competing memories so we can focus on the one we need. A side effect is that recalling some items can make related items harder to reach later.
Researchers agree that recalling some memories can make related ones harder to reach, but still debate whether active inhibition or simple competition between memories causes it.
In everyday life
After a year of giving out your new home address, your old street number is surprisingly hard to recall when a form asks for previous addresses.
After practicing the Spanish words for the three fruits you buy most, you find it harder than expected to recall the Spanish words for the other fruits you studied the same day.
Why your mind does this
We cannot hold every moment of an experience or every item in a list in mind. The brain keeps a few standout pieces, such as the most intense moment, the ending, or the first and last items, and lets them stand for the whole. This makes memories compact and quick to use.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Key elements
How to spot it
Notice when an older or related fact has become strangely hard to reach after you focused hard on a new one.
What you can do
When you need a whole set of related facts, practice all of them, including the ones you use less often.