How many times has this happened to you? You're asked a question, and you know the answer, you've always known the answer, it's on the tip of your tongue...but you just can't get to it.You can get all the information around the answer – what other movies a certain actress whose name you can't recall played in, say, or all the countries nearby that one that's shaped like a boot. But the best you can do is come up with a similar sounding word, even though you know it's actually not anywhere near the right answer (“Is it Schmitaly?”).
Relax, you're not losing your mind – it happens. See, when you learn a word, your brain stores it 3 ways: phonetically (the way it sounds), by spelling, and by meaning. Each of these storage systems is handled by a different brain module. The more often you use the word, the stronger the connection between the sound/spelling/meaning, and the easier it is for you to make proper use of it.
But sometimes if you're put on the spot to recall a word, especially one you don't actually think about in its full context a lot, your brain just lets you down. You're just given part of the whole system – maybe the meaning (“Who's that guy who invented the telephone?”) and somewhere along the way you make a faulty connection. You start listing everything you know, as far as that system goes (what he liked for breakfast, what the first words over the telephone were, etc.) but you just can't get it. You fall back on the system you use the most (probably sound, which is why you might get a similar-sounding word, but just not the right one).
Well, here's some bad news for you: focusing on the wrong answer that keeps popping into your head actually strengthens the incorrect association between that word and that description. So unless you find that answer soon, next time you're even more likely to get it wrong.
Oh, and that telephone guy? It's on the tip of my tongue...
Source: Cracked
