Belinda and John were best friends through their school years. Belinda now works in a café and has become good friends with her colleague, Jim. However, Belinda often finds herself referring to Jim as John, even though she has not spoken to John for at least four years. Belinda's confusion with these names may be attributed to the occurrence of .

Proactive interference                

Explanation:

Belinda and John were best friends through their school years. Belinda now works in a café and has become good friends with her colleague, Jim. However, Belinda often finds herself referring to Jim as John, even though she has not spoken to John for at least four years. Belinda's confusion with these names may be attributed to the occurrence of proactive interference.

Proactive interference occurs when previously stored/learned information prevents an individual from easily remembering recently learned/stored information and it results in individuals forgetting recent information.  For example, when you change your phone numbers and someone ask you for your new phone numbers, the recall of the new numbers will likely be hindered by the old number.