Which term signifies maintaining information over time?

The term that signifies maintaining information over time is indeed storage. In the context of memory, storage refers specifically to the process of preserving information so that it can be accessed and recalled later. This involves various mechanisms in the brain that help ensure information does not fade away after initial learning.

Encoding, while crucial in the memory process, pertains to the initial step of taking in information and converting it into a format that can be stored. Without successful encoding, information cannot move to the storage phase. Maintenance rehearsal focuses more on keeping information in short-term memory through repeated practice, and elaborative rehearsal involves forming connections with existing knowledge to enhance storage, but neither encapsulates the broader concept of retaining information over time on its own. Therefore, storage is the most appropriate term to describe the long-term preservation of information.