fuzzy trace theory
a theory proposing that information is encoded on a continuum from precise, literal memory representations (verbatim traces) to gistlike, imprecise representations (fuzzy traces), with verbatim traces less easily accessed, generally requiring more effort to use, and more susceptible to interference and forgetting than fuzzy traces. The theory also proposes that developmental differences in many aspects of cognition can be attributed to age differences in encoding and to differences in sensitivity to output interference. [proposed by U.S. psychologists Charles Brainerd (1944– ) and Valerie Reyna (1955– )]