Final answer:
The student's difficulty in remembering names from past semesters is an example of retroactive interference, where newly learned information (current students' names) makes it harder to recall older information (past students' names).
Step-by-step explanation:
The difficulty in recalling students' names from past semesters is an example of retroactive interference. This is because the new information (current students' names) hinders the recall of older information (past students' names).
Retroactive interference occurs when newly acquired information interferes with the ability to remember previously learned information. For instance, learning a new phone number may make it hard to remember the old one. Conversely, proactive interference is when old information interferes with the learning of new information—like writing the previous year after the new year begins. Memory consolidation is the process of establishing and stabilizing a memory trace after the initial acquisition. Source monitoring error involves the misattribution of the origin of a memory, which is not relevant in this context.