Memory retrieval

Memory retrieval means bringing stored information back into your mind. You use retrieval when you try to remember something you learned before. For example, your teacher asks, “Who wrote The Subjection of Women?” You think for a moment and remember John Stuart Mill. The information was already stored in your memory. Retrieval brings it back.

Retrieval can happen in different ways. Sometimes you remember something without help. Sometimes a clue helps you remember. For example, seeing your old school can remind you of your school friends. Revision and practice also improve retrieval. When you repeatedly try to remember something, it becomes easier to recall later. In simple words, encoding puts information into memory, storage keeps it, and retrieval brings it back.