Neisser and Harsch (1992) - Study | Psychology

IB Questions

• Reliability of Cognitive Processing - Reconstructive Memory

• Emotion on Cognition

Name of the Researcher(s)

Neisser and Harsch

Publication

1992

Aim

To investigate if flashbulb memories (FBMs) are prone to distortion.

Method

Case Study (Survey and Interview)

Procedure and Participants

Participants - 106 University Students

1. Participants were given a questionnaire about their experience of witnessing the Challenger Disaster in less than 24 hours after the event.

2. 2.5 years later they were given the exact same questionnaire and also asked how confident they were in their answers being the same from the first questionnaire.

Results

There were discrepancies in the participants answers which resulted in the researchers following up with a semi-structured interview to direct them into answering their original answers.

Conclusion

FBMs are prone to distortion, however we are confident we are correct nonetheless.

Strengths

+ Method Triangulation —> Reliability
+ Prospective
+ Longitudinal
+ High Ecological Validity

Limitations

- Not Precisely Replicable
- Participant Attrition
- Naturalistic
- Retrospective