Which of the following best illustrates the serial position effect?

• A. A person remembers the first and last items on a grocery list better than the middle items.
• B. A person recalls information better when in the same environment where it was learned.
• C. A person is able to solve a complex math problem after repeated practice.
• D. A person forgets details of an event that happened many years ago.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of the serial position effect, which refers to the tendency of people to remember the first (primacy effect) and last (recency effect) items in a list better than the middle items.
2. Analyze each option to see if it involves memory performance related to the position of items in a sequence or list.
3. Identify that the option describing a person remembering the first and last items on a grocery list better than the middle items directly illustrates the serial position effect.
4. Recognize that the other options describe different psychological phenomena: context-dependent memory, skill acquisition through practice, and long-term forgetting, which are not related to the serial position effect.
5. Conclude that the best illustration of the serial position effect is the example involving better recall of the first and last items on a list.