The Recency Effect

Have you ever noticed how you remember some life events better than others? How our memory works has been the subject of numerous psychological studies. In memory the recency effect refers to the principle that your most recent experiences or memories will be best remembered. For example if I gave you a long shopping list you are more likely to recall the last few items on the list first. Remembering the first few items on the list is referred to as the primacy effect.

Psychologists have also discovered that during the recency effect we will assume that the last few items on the list are more important than the others, and give them greater significance. They have also discovered that it has the most effect in repeated persuasion messages, particularly when there is a delay between each message.

Miller and Campbell recorded proceedings from a trail. During the trial there were a number of different arguments for and against the plaintiff. In some cases there were gaps of up to a week between each judgement. Miller and Campbell discovered that when there was no delay between arguments, but a week delay to the judgement, a primacy effect occurred. When there was a delay between the first and second argument, but no delay between the second argument and the judgement, then a recency effect occurred.  

What did you do an hour ago? What did you do yesterday, last week or last year? There are no doubt recency and primacy effects occurring. But how do we put this knowledge to good use in everyday life? If you want to influence somebody, make sure you leave the most important part of what you are saying until the very end of the conversation. This is the part they will remember. Conversely if you are trying to negate the effects yourself, be aware of the whole of the message that somebody has delivered to you as opposed to just the last part of what they have said.