recency effect

British

/ ˈriːsənsɪ /

noun

psychol the phenomenon that when people are asked to recall in any order the items on a list, those that come at the end of the list are more likely to be recalled than the others

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The recency effect could tilt a team toward overpaying for Montgomery, whose trade deadline acquisition by the Texas Rangers was key to their World Series title run.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2023

There was a substantial recency effect and generational gaps though.

From Washington Times • Jul. 11, 2018

This sort of error can be attributed to the recency effect: People tend to assume that what just happened will likely to keep happening, even if it is somewhat unusual.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023