multiple-trace theory, or MTT. Every experience lays down a unique trace, and repetitions of an experience don’t overwrite earlier traces; they simply lay down more, near-identical but unique traces of their own. The more traces that there are for a given mental event, the more likely you’ll recall it and that you’ll recall it accurately and rapidly. This is how you learn things—by repeating them, playing around with them, exploring them—laying down multiple, related traces of the concept, experience, or skill.
