Flashbulb memories: A nicer interpretation of a Neisser recollection

Abstract

A flashbulb memory is a vivid and enduring memory for the circumstances in which one learned of a momentous public event (Brown and Kulik, 1977). For example, many people have vivid memories of the way in which they heard about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the resignation of Margaret Thatcher, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, or the September 11th attacks. The idea has substantial appeal, and several articles in the popular media have discussed it (Berendt, 1973; Pew Research Center, 2002). Other studies, however, have shown that flashbulb memories are not as immutable as they seem. More recently, researchers have begun to focus on the phenomenological properties of these memories as well as the social and cultural factors that influence this kind of recall.