In his eighth-grade history class, Michael had to recite Lincoln's Gettysburg Address from memory. Michael did well at the beginning and end of the address, but forgot some sentences in the middle. This example illustrates the serial position effect.

Question

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The serial position effect refers to the phenomenon where people tend to remember items at the beginning (primacy effect) and end (recency effect) of a list better than items in the middle. In this example, Michael remembers the beginning and end of the Gettysburg Address well, but forgets some sentences in the middle, which is consistent with the serial position effect.

In His Eighth-Grade History Class, Michael Had to Recite Lincoln's