Serial position effect

Ideal results graph

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What is the serial position effect

• A tendency for free recall to be superior for items at the beginning and end of a list compared to those in the middle

What condition must be met for the serial position effect to occur

• Information must be presented in a specific order, and recall must occur after all items have been presented

Why are items in the middle of a list usually forgotten in the serial position effect

• They are less likely to be rehearsed or remain in short-term memory

What is the primacy effect

• Enhanced recall of items presented at the beginning of a list due to rehearsal and transfer into long-term memory

Why does the primacy effect occur

• Because early items are rehearsed more and stored in long-term memory for later retrieval

What is the recency effect

• Enhanced recall of items at the end of a list because they are still in short-term memory

Why does the recency effect occur

• Because these items are still in conscious awareness and have not yet been displaced from short-term memory

Which is typically stronger: the primacy effect or the recency effect

• The recency effect