Research explored effects of position in a list on verbal learning, demonstrating recall is more effective for words at the beginning and end of a list--effects described as “primacy” and “recency” respectively. There is still debate over what factors influence these effects.

Primacy & Recency

Memory is better for words displayed at the end of a sequence (when they are more recently in memory).

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

A curve that displays how well respondents recall words depending on how long ago they were displayed.

Serial position curve 

Goldstein, E. B. (2014). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience. Nelson Education.


Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience

Subjects are more likely to remember words if they were displayed in the beginning of a memory task. This may be due to the increased amount of time that is able to be spent in rehearsal.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After