Serial position effect
Memory effect
The overall pattern in which we remember the first and last items of a list best and the middle items worst. It combines the primacy effect and the recency effect.
In everyday life
After a speed-dating night, you remember the first and last people you talked to, while the middle ones blur together.
Of the twelve houses you toured over the weekend, you can describe the opening pair and the closing pair in detail, but the ones in between have merged into one.
Why your mind does this
We cannot hold every moment of an experience or every item in a list in mind. The brain keeps a few standout pieces, such as the most intense moment, the ending, or the first and last items, and lets them stand for the whole. This makes memories compact and quick to use.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Key elements
How to spot it
Notice when the middle items of a list, meeting or lineup have faded while the start and finish stay clear.
What you can do
Give the middle items extra attention, for example by reviewing them first next time or marking them for a second look.
Same family: Key elements
SourcesMurdock (1962)·Wikipedia