Filtered dossier

distinctiveness effect

  • 1 / 1
  • No visual on file
    Attention & Memory Entry #0198

    Why you remember the exception and forget the rule

    Memory does not store what happens most often. It stores what stood apart from its neighbours, which is why the archive over-represents the unusual.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0198

    Distinctiveness is a contrast, not a property. Memory keeps whatever failed to resemble its neighbours, then lets you estimate frequency from it.

    Open file