What occurs when a person does not reach the point of successfully retrieving a memory, despite feeling it is on the verge of recall?

The phenomenon where a person feels that they are on the verge of recalling a memory, yet cannot fully retrieve it, is known as the "tip of the tongue" experience. This unique state reflects a temporary inability to access information that feels very close to being remembered. Despite this inability, individuals often report having some partial information, such as the first letter of the word or related details, contributing to the sense that the memory is accessible.

This feeling demonstrates an interesting aspect of memory retrieval, showing that while a memory may not be fully accessible, there is still some degree of familiarity or partial information present in the mind. This contrasts with other terms, such as recall failure, which implies an inability to access information without the nuance of knowing something is almost retrievable. Hence, the "tip of the tongue" experience captures the complexity of memory retrieval and the feeling of closeness to recall that can be quite frustrating.