Final answer:
The term for an inability to recall past information is amnesia, specifically retrograde amnesia for events that occurred prior to a certain point, often before the onset of amnesia. Dementia is a broader term for cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's disease is a progressive form of dementia.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term used to describe an inability to retrieve information from one's past is amnesia. Amnesia is a form of memory loss that can happen due to various causes including disease, physical trauma, or psychological trauma. Specifically, retrograde amnesia is the type of amnesia where individuals are unable to remember events that occurred before a certain point in time, often before the onset of the amnesia. The memory issues that preclude someone from recalling past events or previously stored information are characteristic of retrograde amnesia. In contrast, antegrade amnesia affects the creation of new memories after the event that caused the amnesia.
Dementia is a broader cognitive decline and may encompass different types of memory impairments, including but not limited to amnesia. A common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which involves progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. Selective memory loss often refers informally to the phenomenon where a person forgets certain information, usually not due to a medical condition but due to psychological factors or subconscious selection.