I'd bet, though, that there are plenty of numbers among the various social sciences to support this kind of thinking. In some ways, it reminds me of what that Tuttle character book espouses, namely that while making up little stories seems like an overload of information, it actually ties together the character's tone and strokes in a web of associations, all of which are mutually reinforcing.

To wit: in one of the episodes I alluded to in my first post (Gay Vampire pt. 2), I certainly didn't NEED to have a story about a homosexual bloodsucker's hot date to learn the lesson's grammar, or even to listen to native speakers. But, because of this overload, I can remember that dialogue line for line.