Final answer:
Misattribution is the error of confusing the source of a familiar memory, and it falls under the category of forgetting. This phenomenon illustrates the challenges involved in retrieving information from long-term memory, which may be subject to errors like storage decay.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon where one recalls something or recognizes it as familiar but cannot remember where it was encountered is called misattribution. Misattribution is one of the several memory errors described by psychologist Daniel Schacter, and it refers specifically to the confusion of the source of information. It is part of the forgetting category of errors that can cause loss of information from long-term memory. Memory errors like this show that even though we might have the information stored in our brains, retrieving it can sometimes be problematic. This is particularly common with information that we do not frequently revisit or think about, such as the details of a book read long ago, which can lead to storage decay. Misattribution, recall, and recognition are all parts of the complex processes our memory uses to encode, store, and retrieve information.