Leveling and Sharpening

What are leveling and sharpening?

Leveling and sharpening describe changes in information as people remember and pass it on.

• Leveling is the loss or simplification of details.
• Sharpening is the selective prominence given to details that remain, sometimes including exaggeration.

In Allport and Postman’s original rumor research (1945), descriptions passed through successive people became shorter while particular features were retained or emphasized. The authors treated these as linked aspects of transmission, alongside assimilation of a story to expectations.

Example of leveling and sharpening

A retelling that omits most of a meeting but emphasizes one striking remark illustrates the distinction. It does not necessarily show deliberate deception. These historical findings are not a rule that every story becomes less accurate at a fixed rate.

Compare a retelling with the original record: Which details disappeared? Which became more prominent? That is more informative than assuming a vivid story is a complete one.