Carl is able to remember the names of the first three presidents before he begins to have difficulty. This is

• A. the recency effect.
• B. the primacy effect.
• C. state-dependent learning.
• D. recognition.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Begin by understanding the concept of the 'primacy effect'. This refers to the tendency to remember items at the beginning of a list better than those in the middle or at the end.
2. Contrast the 'primacy effect' with the 'recency effect', which is the tendency to remember items at the end of a list better than those in the middle or at the beginning.
3. Consider the scenario: Carl remembers the names of the first three presidents. This suggests that he is recalling items from the beginning of a list, which aligns with the primacy effect.
4. Explore the concept of 'state-dependent learning', which involves recalling information better when in the same state as when the information was learned. This is not directly related to Carl's situation.
5. Understand 'recognition' as a form of memory retrieval where one identifies previously learned information. This is different from recalling the names of the presidents from memory, as Carl is doing.