What is Selective Retention?

A person tends to remember only those facts, thoughts, incidences and messages which are closer to their interests, values and beliefs. For example, over a period of time, a person may only retain those things in memory about his / her school days which were interesting, pleasing and good ones forgetting the bitter experiences. Selective retention studied as a part of consumer behavior in marketing also. Buyers tend to remember information inputs that support their beliefs and forget inputs that do not.