Next-in-line effect
The Next-in-line effect is a cognitive bias where individuals have a diminished ability to remember information presented immediately before their turn to perform or speak, such as when they are in line to give a presentation or speak in a meeting.
How it works
This phenomenon occurs because of the anxiety or anticipation related to being next-in-line, which disrupts the encoding of information into memory. The cognitive resources required to prepare one's own actions or words draw attention away from processing and storing the incoming information.
Examples
- A student in a classroom is unable to remember the comments of the person speaking just before them when it is their turn to speak.
- During a round-robin introduction at a meeting, attendees often forget the introduction of the person who spoke immediately before them.
Consequences
- Important information can be overlooked or forgotten during meetings or presentations.
- Team collaboration and communication may suffer when critical details are missed.
- Learning and retention of information may be impaired in educational settings.
Counteracting
- Practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety before speaking.
- Taking notes or recording important points to review later.
- Focusing on active listening techniques, such as summarizing what others have said before speaking.
Critiques
- Some researchers argue that the Next-in-line effect may not be universally applicable and might vary significantly based on individual differences such as personality traits and prior experience.
- The effect is sometimes seen as a byproduct of measurement artifacts rather than a distinct cognitive phenomenon.
Fields of Impact
Also known as
Relevant Research
The Next-in-line Effect.
Brenner, M. (1973)
American Journal of Psychology
The Effects of Anticipatory Anxiety on Memory: The Next-in-Line Effect Revisited.
Wallace, W. P. & Baumeister, R. F. (2002)
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Recommended Books
Case Studies
Real-world examples showing how Next-in-line effect manifests in practice
Context
A busy medical ward used an oral, round‑robin handover each morning where nurses and junior doctors reported patient updates aloud in sequence. The team routinely rotated speakers, and clinical updates were often interleaved with administrative notes and immediate task planning.
Situation
During one handover, a registrar announced a late change to a patient’s anticoagulation dose immediately before a junior nurse who was next to speak. The nurse was mentally preparing what she intended to report about her assigned patients while listening to the registrar’s update.
The Bias in Action
Because the nurse was rehearsing her own report, she failed to encode the registrar’s dose change into memory — a classic next‑in‑line effect where attention is focused inward on upcoming performance rather than on incoming information. When it was her turn she gave the expected update but did not repeat or act on the new anticoagulation instruction. The dose change, mentioned just before her turn, was not retained despite being clinically relevant to one of her patients.
Outcome
The patient received the previously scheduled dose instead of the revised dose; this resulted in a minor bleeding complication that required monitoring and led to an extra day of observation. The incident triggered an internal safety review and a formal incident report.