Von Restorff effect
What is the von Restorff effect?
The Von Restorff effect, also called the isolation effect, is a cognitive bias in which an object or information that stands out or is different from the rest is better remembered. This effect occurs because the salient item stands out from the rest, so it gets more attention and is more easily stored in memory.
How does the Von Restorff effect work?
The effect works because our brain tends to encode unique or different information more strongly than information that fits into a series of similar items. This makes it easier for us to remember the salient item.
An example of the Von Restorff effect
Suppose you are reading a list of words and one word is written in a different color. You are more likely to remember that word than the other words in the list. In marketing, this effect can be exploited by making a product packaging conspicuously different from that of competitors, so that it is more eye-catching and longer remembered.
