The influence of emotions on cognitive process

Covert Rehearsal

Covert Rehearsal

Replaying a previously witnessed event in one's own memory.

Overt Rehearsal

Discussing an event with other people.

Flashbulb Memory

A vivid and highly detailed memory of the circumstances surrounding an unexpected and emotionally arousing event.

Personal Consequentiality

The extent to which an event is perceived as personally significant, which arouses an emotional reaction.

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

A theory that suggests emotions arise from the interpretation of physiological changes in response to external factors.

Brown and Kulik's Flashbulb Memory Theory

A theory that proposes two mechanisms for flashbulb memories: formation (due to surprise, emotional arousal, and personal importance) and maintenance (through overt and covert rehearsal).

Formation Mechanism (Flashbulb Memory)

If an event is surprising, personally important, and emotionally arousing, it can lead to a vivid, "photographic" memory representation.

Maintenance Mechanism (Flashbulb Memory)

Flashbulb memories are sustained through overt rehearsal (discussing the event) and covert rehearsal (replaying the event in one's mind).

Is vividness of flashbulb memories the result of encoding or rehearsal? Neisser et al. AIM

To study flashbulb memories of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California.

Is vividness of flashbulb memories the result of encoding or rehearsal? Neisser et al. Participants

People from California (close to the event) and Atlanta (far from the event).

Is vividness of flashbulb memories the result of encoding or rehearsal? Neisser et al. Procedure

Participants were divided into those with relatives in the affected area and those without. They reported their level of emotional arousal and how often they discussed the event.

Is vividness of flashbulb memories the result of encoding or rehearsal? Neisser et al. Results - Emotional Arousal

Participants from California reported low levels of emotional arousal when recalling the event.

s vividness of flashbulb memories the result of encoding or rehearsal? Neisser et al. Results - Vivid Memories

Participants who had relatives in the affected area and those from Atlanta (far away) had more vivid and detailed memories of the event.

s vividness of flashbulb memories the result of encoding or rehearsal? Neisser et al. Results - Discussion

Participants who discussed the event more often with others also had more vivid memories.

is vividness of flashbulb memories the result of encoding or rehearsal? Neisser et al. Conclusion

Rehearsing or discussing the event (overt rehearsal) was more effective in creating vivid flashbulb memories than emotional arousal alone.

is vividness of flashbulb memories the result of encoding or rehearsal? Neisser et al. Implication

The vividness of flashbulb memories may be more due to the maintenance mechanism (rehearsal) than the formation mechanism (emotional arousal) proposed by the original theory.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch. Aim

To investigate the accuracy of people's flashbulb memories of the Challenger space shuttle explosion.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch.- Participants

106 participants.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch.- Research Method

An experiment using a questionnaire.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch.- Procedure

Participants answered questions about their experience of the Challenger explosion one day after the incident and again three years later.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch.- Questions Asked

Participants described what they were doing, where they were, and other details surrounding their experience when they heard the news.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch.- Results - Confidence

Participants reported being 83% confident in their memories.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch.- Results - Consistency

However, only 42% of participants' responses were consistent between the two time points.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch.- Conclusion

People can have vivid, detailed memories of an event, but those memories may not accurately reflect what really happened.

How accurate are Flashbulb memory? Neisser and Harsch.- implications

Flashbulb memories, despite feeling extremely vivid and confident, can still be inaccurate and susceptible to distortion over time.