What is the Von Restorff effect?
The Von Restorff effect is a cognitive bias that causes items which stand out from the rest to be more likely to be remembered. The Von Restorff effect is used in many professions such as marketing, advertising, politics and psychological warfare.
In marketing, products which are different from the others tend to be bought first because they stand out on a shelf. In psychology certain sections of a brain MRI will stand out due to a lack of surrounding structure thus creating an image with the greatest detail.
Why this bias is dangerous?
The Von Restorff effect has been used for decades by companies and professionals around the world as it allows them create focus groups or target specific individuals through various methods of communication. Some argue that due to some Von Restorff examples only appearing as ‘outliers’, they do not reflect the reality and should be disregarded. However, we should be careful to note that this effect is still a ‘bias’ as it can influence people’s actions without them knowing.
How does it work?
The Von Restorff effect works by encouraging individuals to notice things which are different from their peers or do not fit into their usual patterns. It starts off as an automatic cognitive bias which often encourages those who suffer from it to seek out and notice things which stand out and then later influences the individual’s choice of will through other cognitive biases such as Confirmation Bias and Attentional Bias .
Why do people use this bias?
People can use the Von Restorff effect as a cognitive bias by looking at products on a shelf and buying those which stand out or by focusing on an individual because they seem different.
It is very easy for individuals to fall victim to using the Von Restorff effect as it is one of the most basic cognitive biases there is, however, once you begin to take part in society and become aware how many other cognitive biases exist you will find avoiding them much easier. People have been used this for years without even knowing what it was so from now onward if someone uses this against you then your best course of action would be to try and notice it has happened and avoid being influenced by it.
How can we create this bias?
The Von Restorff effect can be created by products being placed on a shelf without any specific order or priority, the products will then stand out due to their difference thus creating an illusion of ‘better value’ even if they are exactly the same. This is also believed to work in television where certain channels are given more weighting over others due to their placement on the viewing guide.
How to avoid this bias?
To avoid this cognitive bias simply make yourself aware that it exists and try not fall victim to it’s influence whenever possible, for example when looking at products on a shelf you should either compare them all directly or make your decision based upon another cognitive bias such as Anchoring Bias . If you are looking to buy a product then you should compare all products directly rather than focusing on one which stands out if they are exactly the same.
The Von Restorff effect can be seen in many examples such as:
- Marketing: On a shelf products which stand out tend to be bought first
- Television: Channels on the far right and left tend to have less viewers than those in the middle.
- Brain Scans: Areas of low neural activity will stand out more than others due to their lack of surrounding structure.
Which profession use the Von Restorff effect?
The Von Restorff effect is used by those who wish to influence people’s choices and decisions without them knowing. This is done mostly for political or financial gain so individuals such as politicians, advertisers and business leaders use this bias on a daily basis.
Von Restorff effect Conclusion.
The Von Restorff effect is one of the most basic cognitive biases that we have and it influences our choices without us even realising it. Using this bias requires little effort and is easy to spot when looking back at your life with hindsight, however, if you are aware of how vast our mind is then
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