F15Eagle is right. Unused information gets stored in long term memory.
However, it’s not that there is “deeper digging”, it’s that when our brain moves something to long term memory is runs a compression algorithm on the data in order to store it more efficiently.
For most people, the algorithm is lossy (kind of like JPEG only completely different), which is why older folks can remember things but the details can get sketchy. There is also the factor of “generational loss”, which happens when information is retrieved and decompressed, and then re-compressed again.
The algorithm resides in the Hypothalgooglemus portion of the brain which is responsible for the search related functions (and also where Google got the name for their search engine).
So it’s not lack of space, it’s the time to decompress the data and the potential compression loss that is the problem.
When short term memory becomes a problem, it’s because there is a error in the block read of the algorithm in the Hypothalgooglemus and it’s searching the archives first.
That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
As good as any ‘story’. I am sticking with it too.