The Isolation Effect in Free Recall and Recognition

(1) (4) (9)

The psychological principle known as the Isolation Effect states that an

item that stands out like a sore thumb is more likely to be
remembered. For example if one were to
look at the photo of the shopping list
(to the right) the world lemonade
sticks out more than any other word,
this gives the word lemonade
distinctiveness and aids the memory in
memorizing it more. The authors offer an
interpretation of the isolation effect based
on the analysis of the processing of
similarities and differences among the
items. Two experiments provide evidence for this interpretation. The
results discussed in the context of current theories of distinctiveness
effects the memory. An appeal is mode for a different conceptualization
of distinctiveness as a discriminative process in memory that requires
processing in both similarities and differences among items. This
research would be valid to my research because it validates the idea
that subjects are able to recognize an item far better when it blatantly
sticks out from its surroundings. Thus food products that have specific
hues to them or specific logos will most likely be chosen when compare
to their counterparts.