Von Restorff Effect

Von Restorff Effect

Time for Reflection 

What do you observe in the following lists ? 

• Apple, Orange, Pineapple, Guava, Kiwi, Papaya, Watermelon
• Red, Green, Blue, Black, Brown, Yellow
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

In all the above three lists, you tend to remember Guava, Green, and Monday respectively because these words stand apart from the rest of the items in the respective lists.

This is termed as "Von-Restorff Effect"

Definition

Von Restorff Effect or Isolation Effect predicts that when multiple similar objects are present, the one which differs from the rest is most likely to be remembered.  The theory was coined by German psychiatrist and pediatrician Hedwig Von Restorff, who, in her 1933 study, found that when participants were presented with a list of categorically similar items with one distinctive, isolated item on the list, memory for the item was improved. In other words, an isolated item, in a list of otherwise similar items, would be better remembered than an item in the same relative position in a list where all items were similar.

There are many studies that demonstrate and confirm the Von- Restorff effect in children and adults and the findings suggest that elder/ older people display lesser benefits for distinctive information compared to younger people. This effect is put to good use in marketing, product promotion and advertising, where, intentionally a particular item is made to stand out and appear different from the rest of the pack (of similar items).

The Von-Restorff effect occurs when there is a difference in context (i.e., a stimulus is different from surrounding stimuli) or a difference in experience (i.e., a stimulus is different from experiences in memory).

The flip side of this effect is that, in our bid to remember the items that's different, our attention gets removed from the other items in the list, thereby resulting in remembering less, overall. Taylor & Fiske, (1978) indicated that attention is usually captured by salient, novel, surprising, or distinctive stimuli and these may be used to enhance the Von-Restorff effect.

We can benefit from the Von-Restorff Effect in many ways in our day-to-day life 

• While making lists, where a particular item (for priority reasons or some other reason) could be highlighted to make it stand out, thereby making it easier to remember it.
• During study, certain important matter/ text could be highlighted and made to stand out. This could help in better memorizing and effective revision
• In advertising and marketing, where, through a change in size, colour or shape, an item can be made to look more attractive and appealing for the potential customers
• While preparing a presentation, certain important slides can be made to stand out by making use of fonts, color, etc.