Flashbulb Memory
IB Syllabus Says:
Evaluate one theory of how emotion
may affect one cognitive process
(i.e. How flashbulb memory theory
explains the influence of emotion on
memory )
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
• Fall of Berlin Wall
Flashbulb memory
These are the aspects that Brown and Kulick (1977) propose are
remembered vividly for flashbulb memories:
•
•
•
•
•
Where you were
What you were doing
How you were informed
How you reacted
How others around you reacted
• They propose that there is a biological
memory mechanism which leads to
these exceptionally vivid memories
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 of the
information – culture seems to influence things
• Shock, arousal also important
• Neisser (1982) proposed that the enduring nature
of FBM is a result of rehearsal and reworking
after the event
• We use the conventions of storytelling recounting
important events – FBMs are just as susceptible
to distortion as other memories.
• Its difficult to check the accuracy of flashbulb
memories – nothing different about them
• E.g Neisser himself was sure he was listening to
the baseball when pearl harbour was bombed in
WWII – but it couldn’t have been possible
because it wasn’t in the baseball season
Flashbulb memory
• Challenges to concept of FBM:
• Neisser & Harsch (1992) compared PPs
recall of Challenger disaster after 24 hours
and 2 years
• Found all accounts had changed over time,
some were ‘wildly inaccurate’ 40%
• Furthermore, The McCloskey et
al. (1988) study also proposes
that flashbulb memories are not
special memories (see key
study)
Flashbulb memory
• Platania & Hertkorn (1998) – recall for
death of Princess Diana
consistency
confidence
Diana
everyday
everyday
Diana
Imm.
10 weeks
Imm.
10 weeks
Flashbulb memory
• Squire (2000) – recall of OJ Simpson
verdict
100%
Highly accurate
Contained major
distortions
50%
0%
1 mo
12 mo
15 mo
3 years
Flashbulb memories
• Relatively little evidence for FMBs 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