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next_in_line_effect
The reduced ability to remember what the person immediately before you said when you are next in line to speak or perform. Anxiety about one's own upcoming performance consumes cognitive resources that would otherwise be used for encoding others' contributions. This effect is strongest when people feel pressure about their own performance.
In a meeting where each person introduces themselves in turn, a participant is so focused on rehearsing their own introduction that they completely miss the name and role of the person who spoke just before them.
During a university seminar where students present their research one by one, the student scheduled to go next is so busy mentally rehearsing her opening lines that she retains almost nothing from the presentation happening right before hers.
At a job interview panel where each candidate introduces themselves before the group discussion begins, one candidate is so anxious about his own pitch that he cannot remember the name of the person who spoke immediately before him, despite having just heard it.
Binary (yes/no) questions an LLM must answer to identify this aspect:
Is information presented just before one's own turn poorly recalled?
Type: binaryWas attention diverted to preparing one's own contribution?
Type: binaryWould recall improve if there were no upcoming performance pressure?
Type: binaryThe reduced ability to remember what the person immediately before you said when you are next in line to speak or perform. Anxiety about one's own upcoming performance consumes cognitive resources that would otherwise be used for encoding others' contributions. This effect is strongest when people feel pressure about their own performance.
Anticipatory anxiety and self-focused attention consume working memory capacity, leaving fewer resources for encoding external information. The shift from external to internal focus creates a temporary encoding deficit.
Prepare what you will say well in advance so you can focus on others when they speak. Take brief notes on what others say to maintain engagement and encoding.
This effect is common in meetings, classroom settings, round-table discussions, and performance contexts. It contributes to poor retention of preceding speakers' points in debates and panel discussions.
Use these tools to detect, analyze, or train this aspect.