The mental processes involved in remembering the name of someone you're thinking about in your head and remembering the name of someone you see in front of you are similar, but there are some differences in the context and cues that can influence the retrieval of information.
Context: When you're thinking about someone's name in your head, you are relying solely on internal mental cues. The context is more abstract and may include your mental associations with that person, previous encounters, or experiences related to them.
Visual Cues: When you see someone in front of you, you have the advantage of visual cues. Seeing the person's face and their presence in the immediate environment provides additional context and can trigger associations, making it easier to recall their name.
Environmental Cues: When the person is physically present, the environment itself can serve as a cue. For example, you might remember their name because you are in a place where you usually interact with them, such as their workplace or a mutual friend's house.
Multimodal Memory: Seeing someone in front of you engages multiple senses (visual, auditory if they speak, etc.), which can facilitate memory retrieval. The more senses involved in the encoding of a memory, the more robust the memory tends to be.
Despite these differences, the core memory processes for both scenarios involve the activation and retrieval of information from your long-term memory storage. In both cases, you need to access the memory of the person's name and bring it to your conscious awareness. The strength of the memory, the frequency of your interactions with the person, and the emotional significance of your relationship with them can all influence how easily you can recall their name in either situation.
In summary, while the mental process of remembering someone's name is similar in both scenarios, the presence of additional cues when you see the person in front of you can provide extra assistance in the retrieval process. However, memory is a complex and fascinating topic, and various factors can affect how we recall information in different contexts.