Which effect describes the tendency to recall items at the beginning of a list most strongly?

The primacy effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals are more likely to remember items presented at the beginning of a list. This effect occurs because those initial items benefit from greater rehearsal and encoding into long-term memory. When people are exposed to a series of items, the first few have the advantage of being processed more deeply before attention shifts to the subsequent items. Consequently, these items are more likely to be retrieved later.

In the context of memory and learning, this emphasizes how the sequence of information presentation can influence recall, with earlier items standing out due to their longer duration in memory processing. This contrasts with the recency effect, which highlights the tendency to remember the most recently presented items, among other concepts that describe memory retrieval mechanisms. Understanding the primacy effect can be useful for strategies in learning and retention of information, particularly in educational settings.