COGNITIVE flashbulb memory

definition

memories of the circumstances in which one first learned of a very surprising and consequential (or emotionally arousing) event

additional information

• the analogy of a flashbulb describes the way we can often remember where you where, what you were doing, how you were informed, and how you reacted, as if the whole scene had been ’illuminated' by a flashbulb

• Roger Brown and James Kulik coined the term ‘flashbulb memory’ in 1977. While the term ‘flashbulb memory’ implies shock, illumination, brevity and detail, a memory of this type is far from complete

• moreover, the fundamental characteristics of a flashbulb memory are informant (who broke the news), own affect (how they felt), aftermath (importance of the event), other affect (how others felt), ongoing activity (what they were doing) and place (where they where when the event happened)

• there is relatively little evidence for flashbulb memories 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

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