What is the term for better recall of items at both the beginning and end of a list?

• A. Primacy Effect
• B. Recency Effect
• C. Group Polarization
• D. Serial Position Effect

Answer: (D)

Remembering items from the start and the end of a list more than those in the middle is the serial position effect. This pattern combines two phenomena: the primacy effect, where early items are well recalled due to longer rehearsal and transfer to long-term memory, and the recency effect, where late items are well recalled because they’re still in working memory when recall occurs. Together they explain why the ends of the list are remembered better than the middle. Group polarization is about consensus shifts in groups and doesn’t describe memory recall patterns.