Did you feel the 2008 Sichuan earthquake?

Where were you when you heard about it?

Do you remember hearing about this? 11 th September 2001

Flashbulb memory Originally described by Brown & Kulik (1977): Exceptionally vivid memories Usually of important events with emotional significance Resistant to forgetting over time Debate centres on whether they are a special case, or the same as other memories

Flashbulb memory Typical ‘flashbulb’ events are dramatic, unexpected, shocking E.g. disasters, deaths of prominent figures (esp. if unexpected), momentous events World Trade Centre Kennedy, Princess Diana Sichuan Earthquake Tsunami

Flashbulb memory Where you were What you were doing How you were informed How you reacted How others around you reacted

Flashbulb memory Surveys about dramatic events: Brown & Kulik (1977) found US PPs tended to have vivid memories of political assassinations All PPs good recall of Kennedy, Black PPs better recall of Medgar Evers (civil rights worker) Shows importance of relevance Shock, arousal also important

Flashbulb memory Challenges to concept of FBM: Neisser (1988) compared PPs recall of Challenger disaster after 2 days and 2 years Found all accounts had changed over time, some were ‘wildly inaccurate’

Flashbulb memory Platania & Hertkorn (1998) – recall for death of Princess Diana consistency Imm. 10 weeks confidence Imm. 10 weeks everyday Diana everyday Diana

Flashbulb memory Squire (2000) – recall of OJ Simpson verdict 100% 50% 0% 1 mo12 mo15 mo3 years Highly accurate Contained major distortions

Flashbulb memories Relatively little evidence for FBMs as a distinct memory process They ‘feel’ accurate (we are confident in recall) but are just as prone to forgetting & change as other episodic memories

Flashbulb Memory (continued)  So what is a Flashbulb Memory then?  A particularly vivid, detailed and long-lasting memory of an event that is highly significant and emotional.  E.g. Andaman Sea Tsunami; Twin Towers (9/11), attack on London on 7/7, Sichuan Earthquake etc.  A primary purpose of studies of flashbulb memories has been to explain the considerable variation in memory quality.  By comparing the elaborateness, accuracy, consistency, and persistence of memories formed under various conditions, researchers should be able to identify factors that lead to especially robust personal memories.

Flashbulb Memory (continued)  Key Case Studies include:-  Brown & Kulik (1977) attribute the power of these memories to a special neural physical mechanism that imprints the details on memory. 6 kinds of info likely to be recalled about moment news was heard.  Issues involved:-  Where they were, what they were doing, who gave them the news, what they felt about it, what others felt about it, what happened in the immediate aftermath.  Neisser(1992) disagrees, claiming their enduring nature is due to frequent rehearsal and reworking after the event rather than from neural activity at the time. They also seem to be subject to forgetting, e.g. like other memories.

Flashbulb Memory (continued)  However….  After M. McCloskey et al (1988) attempted to clarify the flashbulb memory concept, their article became a new source of ambiguity.  In particular, they had evaluated the claim that a flashbulb mechanism produces an elite class of complete, accurate, and permanently accessible memories.  But this claim was not part of the original theoretical models, operational definitions, and research hypotheses.  Because the flashbulb metaphor is potentially misleading, the more mundane term memory of personal circumstances may be preferable.  It is therefore, unclear whether they are a particular type of memory or whether they are substantially similar to most other memories for events. (Source: PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA)