What determines whether information is actually stored in long-term memory?

The concept of whether information is stored in long-term memory primarily revolves around its availability. When we say information is available, we refer to the idea that it has been successfully encoded and stored within the long-term memory system, making it a part of our knowledge. For something to be stored as available information, it must go through certain processes, such as attention and meaningful engagement with the material, which facilitates encoding.

Long-term memory can be thought of as a vast repository of knowledge, experiences, and skills that can be accessed later. If information is not available, it means it has not been properly encoded into this repository, regardless of the effort to recall it later. Therefore, a key factor in determining if information "makes it" to long-term storage is indeed its availability within that memory system.

While accessibility, capacity, and perception play crucial roles in memory processes, they do not directly influence whether information is stored. Accessibility relates more to the ease with which stored information can be retrieved, capacity refers to the amount of information that can be held in memory, and perception refers to the initial interpretation of stimuli. Ultimately, all these factors contribute to the overall memory system, but availability directly addresses whether information has been stored in the first place.