Definition
Recency Effect: In a sequence of information, the last items have a disproportionate influence on memory and judgment, relative to the middle of the sequence; the counterpart to primacy effect.[1]
Mechanism and evidence
Murdock (1962) and others showed that the last items in a list are recalled better (recency), and the first items also (primacy), with the middle suffering.[1]
Consumer decision patterns
The last review you read, the last sales pitch, or the final concession in a negotiation can disproportionately shape your overall judgment. Marketers often place the “killer–message at the end.
Mitigation (Selection Logic)
Recency can distort fit judgments. Using multi-dimensional evaluation with fixed dimensions and order reduces the overweighting of “the last thing I heard.”
- Review all information before deciding, not just the last impression.
- Use checklists and fixed dimensions to dilute order effects.
- Combine with primacy: be aware of both “first–and “last–anchoring.