What term best describes the distinction between the initial and the final recall ability of a series of information?

The distinction between the initial and the final recall ability of a series of information is accurately captured by the concept of primacy and recency effects. These effects describe how items presented at the beginning and the end of a list are often recalled more effectively than items in the middle.

Primacy effect refers to the tendency to remember the first items in a series, as these are typically transferred into long-term memory more easily due to the increased attention and rehearsal they receive. Conversely, the recency effect pertains to the improved recall of the last items in a series, which are still fresh in short-term memory at the time of retrieval.

This dual phenomenon highlights how memory retrieval can be influenced by the position of items within a sequence, making primacy and recency effects the correct term to describe the distinction in recall ability.