What is a word for stimulation of memory, such as smell or taste?
I believe the term you are looking for is “involuntary memory” sometimes referred to as “Proustian memory”. Involuntary memory is a conception of human memory in which sensual stimulus plays a crucial role in evoking recollections without conscious effort. Its binary opposite is voluntary memory, a deliberate effort to recall the past. This is a term coined by the French author Marcel Proust. The most famous instance of involuntary memory in Proust is known as the “episode of the madeleine,” whereby the main character of Proust’s novel “In Search Of Lost Time” bites into a madelaine cake, sips lime tea and is instantly transported into his past.
