Primacy and Recency effects

Summary

• We pay attention to the first thing (primacy) we see....and the last (recency)

Details

• Try to avoid evaluations based on first impressions - they are generally false.
• try to make sure the middle counts as much as the first and last - perhaps by keeping notes

References

• The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

Quotes

• Alan is smart, hardworking, impulsive, critical, stubborn, and jealous. Ben, however, is jealous, stubborn, critical, impulsive, hardworking, and smart. Who would you prefer to get stuck with in an elevator? Most people choose Alan, even though the descriptions are exactly the same. Your brain pays more attention to the first adjectives in the lists, causing you to identify two different personalities. Alan is smart and hardworking. Ben is jealous and stubborn. The first traits outshine the rest. This is called the primacy effect

Related

• Impossible to have your best ideas the first time
• Judge people by their actions not our imagination