Memory & Attention Effects

What catches our attention and what stays in memory depend partly on how we encounter information. Position, timing, repetition, and what happens afterward can all make a difference.

This section covers patterns such as the serial-position effect, where items near the beginning or end of a list are often easier to recall, and the spacing effect, the learning benefit of spreading practice over time. Other entries look at how later information can change a memory and why something newly noticed can suddenly seem to be everywhere.