In terms of memory, storage is effectively infinite.
Things are still there, but a lot of memory is context and/or sense dependent. Unless you're like the famous HM who could not forget anything, you simply can't recall things that aren't important to you or stimulated by some sort of context. Memory and Consciousness are the two big Black Boxes of Psychology, but the important thing is remembering too much stuff is not good. You remember what you need to, what's important to you right now. If you were distracted by the names of your fourth-grade classmates and what you had for dinner last week, recalling things would be hard to pin down.
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The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."
>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI
Things are still there, but a lot of memory is context and/or sense dependent. Unless you're like the famous HM who could not forget anything, you simply can't recall things that aren't important to you or stimulated by some sort of context. Memory and Consciousness are the two big Black Boxes of Psychology, but the important thing is remembering too much stuff is not good. You remember what you need to, what's important to you right now. If you were distracted by the names of your fourth-grade classmates and what you had for dinner last week, recalling things would be hard to pin down.
---
The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."
>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI