The original hypothesis was heavily based off the research and findings of Murdock and Glanzer and Cunitz, meaning that any sort of similarities between this experiment and their findings would prove to be supportive of the hypothesis. The results show that numbers in the middle of a sequence (~5-7) are far less frequently recalled compared to the digits at the start and end of the sequence. Based on the data gathered from 7 sample participants from the teenage male psychology student population, it is clear that there is a very strong correlation between the serial position of the number in a sequence and its impact on the recollection of said number. It was originally hypothesised that the teenage male psychology students will recall the numbers serially positioned at the start and end of 5 different 10 digit sets more accurately than numbers in the middle of the sets, as measured by a memory test. The reason for the recency effect is the easily recognisable pattern that this information is simply recent in the working memory at the time of recall, and makes it easy for a participant to remember.

This effect is reduced the faster information is presented to the participant, and vice versa. It was recognised by Murdock (1962) that the reason for the primacy effect is that the first sets of information are most effectively stored in the long-term memory, as there is a large amount of cognitive processing applied to them. The term ‘Serial position effect’ was coined by Herman Ebbinghaus, based on a set of tests that he performed by himself (Wikipedia,2015). The impulse to recall earlier words is called the primacy effect the impulse to recall the later words is called the recency effect. The ‘serial position effect’ recognises that people generally are able to recall items from the start and end of a list more frequently that items in the middle (McLeod, 2009).

When asked to recall an extended list of over ~7 pieces of information, it is likely that an individual would only recall a limited amount of information - defined by the serial position effect.

Research behind memory and cognition has found that short-term memory information can be stored in the brain for up to 30 seconds, and the capacity of said information is around 7 items, give or take 2 (McLeod, 2009).

Glanzer and cunitz 1966