Kulkofsky et al (2011)- Study | Psychology

Publication

2011

IB Question

• Cultural Origins - Cultural Dimensions

Aim

To investigate the cultural differences in formation of flashbulb memories (FBM).

Method

Quasi-Experiment or Questionnaire

Participants and Procedure

Participants = 247 from 5 different countries: China, Germany, Turkey, U.S, UK.

1. Participants were given 5 minutes to recall memories of a public event in their lifetime.

2. The researchers gave them a questionnaire like in Brown and Kulik asking them about their personal experience with the event.

3. Another question asked about how personally and nationally significant the event was, and how often they talked about it.

Results

Researchers found that personal importance had less of a role in forming a FBM in collectivist cultures since they talked less about it compared to individualistic cultures where personal significance is encouraged. One thing common between the two cultures was that national importance played a role in predicitng a FBM.

Conclusion

In collectivist cultures personal importance doesn’t play as big of a role in predicting a FBM as in individualistic cultures. National importance plays a role in both cultures however.

Strengths

+ Interviewer Effects Controlled
+ Language Controlled

Limitations

- Ecological Fallacy = The participants used in the study aren’t representative of the culture’s dominant traits.