Temporal Sequence Effects: A Memory Framework

While much attention has been given recently to studying temporal sequences of events, relatively less attention has been directed to understanding the mechanisms behind the formation of global retrospective evaluations of temporal sequences. The findings from this research suggest that a memory-based framework can provide a parsimonious, comprehensive explanation for retrospective evaluations. In addition to accounting for past findings such as a preference for improving over declining temporal sequences and the important role of peak (both high intensity and unique) experiences, we demonstrate that imposing a delay prior to retrospective evaluations can create a preference reversal due to the reduced accessibility of final or common instances. (c) 2008 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..