This paper is published in Volume-12, Issue-3, 2026
Area
Psychology
Author
Saisha Mehta
Org/Univ
The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Pub. Date
28 June, 2026
Paper ID
V12I3-1229
Publisher
Keywords
Memory, Serial Position Effect, Primacy Effect, Recency Effect, Memory Recall, Loud Rock Music, Attention, Encoding, Retrieval, Cognitive Psychology, Environmental Distractions, Short-Term Memory.

Citationsacebook

IEEE
Saisha Mehta. Serial Position Effect: The Causes of Forgetting, International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology, www.IJARIIT.com.

APA
Saisha Mehta (2026). Serial Position Effect: The Causes of Forgetting. International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology, 12(3) www.IJARIIT.com.

MLA
Saisha Mehta. "Serial Position Effect: The Causes of Forgetting." International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology 12.3 (2026). www.IJARIIT.com.

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of loud rock music on memory recall using the Serial Position Effect. Participants were divided into two groups: one completed a word recall task in silence, while the other completed the same task while exposed to loud rock music. The study examined the primacy and recency effects by analyzing the number of words recalled from the beginning and end of a word list. Results showed that participants in the silent condition demonstrated stronger recall and a clearer serial position curve compared to those exposed to loud music. The findings suggest that loud background music interferes with attention, encoding, and retrieval processes, thereby reducing memory performance. These results highlight the influence of environmental distractions on cognitive functioning and learning.