what happens in the brain when you draw a blank on a name?

Question

I’m talking about those things that you normally know but may forget momentarily. It’s like your brain draws a blank or can’t access the info. What causes that when it happens?

In: 912

Answer 1

Think of it like one of those claw games at the fun fair. The more ‘hooks’ in a prize, the easier it is to grab
High frequency words have lots of ‘hooks’ because we use them all the time
Names are low-frequency items (think how often you use a name compared to other words)
Less used items have weaker representations or fewer ‘hooks’
And so are harder to ‘grab’