Are you looking to remember information more effectively? Share your message and make it stick! You’ve got to learn about the Von Restorff Effect!
What Is The Von Restorff Effect?Is the Von Restorff Effect a Cognitive Bias?How Does the Von Restorff Effect Work?Does the Von Restorff Effect Apply to Everyone?Examples of the Von Restorff EffectThe Isolation Effect Is More Than Meets The EyeOther Ways to Remember Important Information
What Is The Von Restorff Effect?
Is the Von Restorff Effect a Cognitive Bias?
How Does the Von Restorff Effect Work?
Does the Von Restorff Effect Apply to Everyone?
Examples of the Von Restorff Effect
The Isolation Effect Is More Than Meets The Eye
Other Ways to Remember Important Information
The Von Restorff Effect is also known as the “isolation effect.” The isolated piece of information or incident is more likely to be recalled than an event that blends into the background. When something stands out, you point your focus there, andmaking a solidmemory begins.
candles and a blender on shelves
In 1933, a German psychiatrist named Hedwig Von Restorff conducted experiments onmemory. She discovered that when participants were given a list of generally homogenous words to remember and one very distinctive word, they were likelier to remember the distinctive word. Her study has inspired many other psychologists to look at this effect and how it affects memory.
One of the most well-known images that describe the Von Restorff Effect is a photo of tomatoes. All of the tomatoes are green except for one glaringly red tomato in the middle of the photo. Even if you don’t see the photo, it’s not hard to imagine that your eyes and your focus go directly to the red tomato. And when your eyes go directly to the red tomato (and stay on that red tomato,) you are more likely to remember there was one red tomato in the basket. Unless you are asked to count the green tomatoes, you probably don’t know how many are in the basket!
Yes! Cognitive biases are patterns of thought that lead people to misinterpret information. That one red tomato is one of the billions of tomatoes on the Earth. It is a tomato, just like any of the green tomatoes surrounding it. So why does it stick out so much in our minds? Because cognitive biases like the Von Restorff Effect influence us.
This cognitive bias is pretty unique. Not all cognitive biases help us remember visual information. Some cognitive biases affect our judgment and decision-making, too. Examples of other cognitive biases include:
…and many more!
To make things easier, our minds take a series of shortcuts to store and recall information about the world around us. For example, if we have been in a room 1,000 times, our minds pretty much know what that room will look like. It doesn’t always take in every detail, meaning we might miss small changes. (This is also known as change blindness.)
The Von Restorff Effect is just another way to make things easier for our minds. Which sounds easier: memorizing the shape, size, and placement of 100 green apples in a barrel or memorizingonered apple? See? Taking in the information that sticks out among the rest is much easier.
Elements That Produce the Von Restorff Effect
What makes information or objects stand out from the things around them? Let us count the ways! Plenty of factors can differentiate certain pieces of information on your screen, in your books, or right in front of you.
The Von Restorff Effect, or the isolation effect, is pervasive in numerous aspects of our daily life, not just in academia. You might be unconsciously leveraging this phenomenon more often than you think!
Understanding and recognizing the Von Restorff Effect in these various contexts allows you to appreciate its influence on your memory and harness it effectively in various professional and personal scenarios.
How to Use the Von Restorff Effect to Remember Information
The isolation effect may harm memory. While the isolated piece of information is more likely to be remembered, the rest of the information is more likely to be forgotten. If you are trying to remember a set of information, think about what pieces stick out the most and what pieces are most important to remember. Or, you can make pieces of information stick out. Highlighting is just one way we use the isolation effect to remember critical information. There are other ways to do this, too.
UX Design and Marketing
Designers and content creators use the Von Restorff Effect all the time to help sell products and build memorable websites.
Bolded text,italic text,andtext in different colorsand fonts stand out. If specific messages need to reach customers, the best way to make that happen is to recruit the Von Restorff Effect and isolate those messages away from the rest of the text.
You don’t have to be a UX designer or marketing expert to use the Von Restorff Effect in your messaging. If you have a message that you want to communicate to others, consider how this effect plays into your materials. Here are some quick tips for using this effect effectively!
Interested in designing web pages or creating a practical user experience? There are a lot of design principles, like the Von Restorff Effect, that can help you meet your goals:
Ed Sheeran, with his distinctive fusion of pop, hip-hop, and folk and his raw storytelling, became a refreshing contrast to the prevailing music landscape. On the other hand, Susan Boyle defied conventional expectations on talent shows with her heartwarming rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream,” surprising audiences and making her performance unforgettable.
It wasn’t just their talent but their distinctiveness that made them stand out. In an industry flooded with talent, those who differentiate themselves—be it through their style, story, or sound—are more likely to be recalled, invited back, and celebrated, while others, unfortunately, might fade into the background.
Understanding the idea behind the Von Restorff Effect can help you remember critical information, from essential quotes to tricky answers on your next test. But it’s far from the only way to remember things! Psychologists and marketing experts have discovered other design principles and cognitive biases influencing our memories and attention. Consider the following tips if you want to remember a critical piece of information. (Full pages on these effects can all be found on this website!)
Students, designers, and anyone who wants to communicate or remember information can benefit from applying the Von Restorff Effect to their notes or communication.
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Reference this article:Practical Psychology. (2019, August).The Von Restorff Effect (Definition + Examples).Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/von-restorff-effect/.Practical Psychology. (2019, August). The Von Restorff Effect (Definition + Examples). Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/von-restorff-effect/.Copy
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Practical Psychology. (2019, August).The Von Restorff Effect (Definition + Examples).Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/von-restorff-effect/.Practical Psychology. (2019, August). The Von Restorff Effect (Definition + Examples). Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/von-restorff-effect/.Copy
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