Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.14
What are the two independent "strengths" every memory has, according to Bjork's theory?
Storage strength (how deeply wired in) and retrieval strength (how accessible right now) — they vary independently.
Robert Bjork's "New Theory of Disuse" (1992) proposes that any given memory carries two separate values:
| Property | Storage strength | Retrieval strength |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | How durably learned it is | How easily it comes to mind now |
| Behavior | Only ever increases; very stable | Fluctuates up and down; decays |
| Feels like | (invisible) | Fluency / "I know this" |
A memory can have high storage but low retrieval (a fact you learned cold years ago — hard to recall, but relearns instantly), or high retrieval but low storage (something you just crammed — feels obvious now, gone tomorrow).