Serial Position Effect
Definition
The serial position effect refers to our tendency to be able to recall the first and last items in a list better than those in the middle.
Analogy
Consider serial position effect like bookends on a shelf full of books. You're more likely remember the books at either end (first and last items), but might struggle with remembering what's exactly in between them (middle items).
Theoretical Perspectives
The Serial Position Effect is explained through cognitive psychology, which focuses on how people encode, process, and retrieve information. It suggests that attention and rehearsal affect memory encoding differently across a sequence.Study And Research Findings
Study and Research FindingsRelated terms
Primacy Effect: Our tendency to remember the first items in a series.
Recency Effect: Our tendency to remember the last items in a series.
Chunking: A strategy for making more efficient use of short-term memory by grouping information.
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