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MENTAL MODEL · M5220

Next-in-Line Effect

Next-in-Line Effect
Learn & MetacognitionHigh supportMemory Psychology
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Updated 2026-08-08

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

A memory phenomenon in turn-taking situations: recall for the person who spoke immediately before one's own turn is markedly worse than recall for other speakers. The cause is attentional: as the turn approaches, working memory is consumed by rehearsing one's own remarks and managing arousal, so the incoming speech is never encoded. The effect is strongest for the speaker immediately preceding one's own, and it can be reduced by taking notes or by deliberately listening rather than preparing during that interval.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Slot selection: avoid scheduling your remarks immediately before or after the most anxious or most senior speaker. - Attention budgeting: decide in advance to spend the minute before your turn listening, not rehearsing. - Note compensation: write down the adjacent speaker's points, since recall there cannot be trusted.

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Anchor fast decisions

Encoding requires attention at the moment information arrives, and attention is a limited resource. When the next turn belongs to you, the approaching performance recruits working memory for rehearsal and self-monitoring, leaving nothing for the incoming message. Because the deficit happens at encoding rather than retrieval, no amount of effort later recovers the content, and the loss is concentrated on the neighbor whose speech overlapped with your preparation.

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next-in-line_effectZH · Explicit
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