Recency Effect

Explanations > Theories > Recency Effect

Description

Given a list of items to remember, we will tend to remember the last few things more than those things in the middle.

The recency effect has most effect in repeated persuasion messages when there is a delay between the messages.

Research

Miller and Campbell recorded proceedings from a trial with a combination of sequences of arguments for and against the plaintiff, sometimes with delays of a week between parts and the judgment that they sought from experimental participants.

The results in the table below show that when there was no delay between the first and second message, but then a week's delay before the judgment, a primacy effect occurred. When there was a delay between the first and second message, but no gap between the second message and the judgment, then a recency effect occurred.

First message	Delay after first message?	Second message	Delay after second message?	Judgment
For plaintiff	No	Against plaintiff	No	Balanced
Against plaintiff	No	For plaintiff	No	Balanced
For plaintiff	No	Against plaintiff	Yes	For
Against plaintiff	No	For plaintiff	Yes	Against
For plaintiff	Yes	Against plaintiff	No	Against
Against plaintiff	Yes	For plaintiff	No	For
For plaintiff	Yes	Against plaintiff	Yes	Balanced
Against plaintiff	Yes	For plaintiff	Yes	Balanced

Example

What did you do in the last hour? What about the last day? Last week? Year?

So what?

Using it

If you want something to stand out in a person’s mind, use it at the end of a conversation, a written list, etc. Don’t let it get lost in the middle. Repeat the message after a while, still with the key items at the end.

Defending

Do not just pay attention to what other people have most recently said.

References

Miller and Campbell (1959)

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