FREE ESSAY ON PRIMACY RECENCY EFFECT

PRIMACY RECENCY EFFECT

PRIMACY RECENCY EFFECT Primacy 
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Effects on Primacy and Recency
In Short Term Memory
Binyomin S. Karbal
Touro College
Brooklyn, NY
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Abstract
Previous research has found that recency and primacy in memory is affected by tasks 
given to persons before recalling groups of related or unrelated words given to them by 
the tester. Subjects are given four (4) separate tests. Each test is a slight deviation
from 
the next and the test are administered and has the subjects recall groups of words. The 
first two tests are groups of words related to each other. One test has thirty words and
the 
other has 20. The tester calls out these words in no particular order and then the
subjects 
are told to recall as many words as possible. In the third test, the subjects are given 
sixteen unrelated words. Then they are told to count down from one hundred by sevens 
and recall as many words as possible. In the fourth test, the subjects are given sixteen

unrelated words. Half the subjects are then told to count down from one hundred and half

the subjects are told to count up to one hundred by sevens. Subsequently, subjects are 
told to recall as many words as possible. In the first two tests we find that there is a

balance in word recollection. The most words recollected are in the beginning and the 
end with a very meek showing in the middle. However, in the last two tests the there 
different outcomes because the primacy and recency is effected.
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Characteristics of the Primacy 
And Recency Effect
Serial learning has been studied for a long time and is very prevalent today. There 
are many studies that link how people remember groups of objects to what is called the 
primacy recency effect. Depending on the task given to subjects after being told to
recall 
groups of objects, their memory of the objects is effected. Some like Herman 
Ebinghouse, studied the effects on memory to show how memory is effected and how 
memory works.
In most cases, depending on what task is given the primacy and recency of 
memory is affected. The primary goal of this study is to assess the correlation between 
the task and what part of memory is effected.
Method
Participants
In this study only two people were tested. This study usually uses about ten 
subjects in order for there to be a balance. The two subjects are male and college
students 
about age 22. They were picked for this test because they were there.
Materials
Not many materials were needed. Each subject needed a piece of paper and a pen. 
The tester had four list/tests that he administered.
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Procedure
Four memory tests were administered and then tallied up.
The first test, consisted of thirty different words directly related (i.e. animals). 
After reading them aloud, the tester asked the subjects to recall and write down as many

words as they remember. The second test had twenty directly related words (i.e. flowers)

and the subjects were then told to do the same. However, the third and fourth tests were

slightly different. The third test consisted of sixteen unrelated words. After these
words 
were called out the tester then told the subjects to count one hundred backwards by 
sevens and then go ahead and remember as many words as possible. Finally, the fourth 
test was given. It consisted again, of sixteen unrelated words and the subjects were
split 
into two groups. One group had to count up to one hundred by sevens and thee other 
group had to count down from one hundred by sevens.
Results
In the first two tests, subjects recalled more of the first and last words heard. 
Recollection of the words in the middle of the lists was much less.
INSERT TABLES 1 AND2 ABOUT HERE
In the third test subjects lost sight of the last words of the list when asked 
to count down from one hundred by sevens. This is called thee Primacy effect. More of 
the first five words were recalled and the other eleven words were recalled less.
INSERT TABLE 3 HERE
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In the fourth test, the results did not come out the way it was supposed to (not 
enough subjects). Because half the subjects are counting up and half the subjects are 
counting down both the primacy and recency of memory should be effected. However, in 
this test more of the first words were recalled and the other eleven were scarcely
recalled.
INSERT TABLE 4 HERE
Discussion
The results indicated that memory (primacy and recency) is effected by the task 
given to subjects before asked to recollect a group of words. The first test are given to

assess the pattern at which the subjects recollect groups of words. It shows us that the

pattern is like a pyramid. First and last words are easier to recall. However, the last
tests 
are given to assess what counting up or down from one hundred by sevens does to the 
subjects memory. The study shows that those subjects counting up had a difficulty 
recalling the first words and those subjects counting backwards have difficulty recalling

the last words called out by the tester.
TABLES Primacy 
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List 1: (30 animals)
Words Sub. Rec.
1-5 9
6-10 4
11-15 3
16-20 7
21-25 5
26-30 7
List 2: (20 flowers)
Words Sub. Rec.
1-5 8 
6-10 6
11-15 3
16-20 6
List 3: (16 unrel.)
Words Sub. Rec.
1-5 7
6-10 4
11-16 4
List 4: (16 unrel.)
Words Sub. Rec.
1-5 7
6-10 3
11-16 5
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References