Published January 12, 2020. The Primacy and Recency Biases are good hacks for making information memorable and seemingly important.
What Are the Primacy and Recency Biases?
Have you ever tried to remember a long list and only been able to recall the first and last few items? Or gone to a networking event and only remembered the first and last people you talked with? Those are primacy and recency at work, two patterns rooted in the serial position effect.
- Primacy bias gives extra weight to information encountered first.
- Recency bias gives extra weight to the most recent information.
Examples of the Primacy and Recency Biases
Middle items get the short end of the stick. When audiences process a stream of information, the first items anchor their framing and the last items shape what they walk away with. Research cited in PNAS shows people consider recent weather as the relevant baseline when forming judgments, and the hedonic treadmill reminds us how quickly humans reset to recent reference points.
How You Will Leverage Primacy and Recency
To be first is to set the frame. To be last is to leave the lasting impression. In networking, presentations, and everyday conversations, position your strongest points at the opening and close so they stick. Sandwiching weaker material in the middle keeps it from being forgotten, and reinforces what you want remembered about you.