Sharot et al.

Aim

Investigate the biological basis of flashbulb memory

Determine the role of amygdala in emotional memory recall related to 9/11

Procedure

Quasi experiment conducted 3 years after the 9/11

Participants who were in New York City on 9/11

Ppts underwent fMRI scanning while recalling 9/11-related memories and summer holiday memories

Word cues were presented alongside either 'September' or 'Summer' to direct memory retrieval

Ppts rated their memories for vividness, detail, confidence or arousal

They also wrote descriptions of their memories

Findings

Only half of ppts reported having flashbulb memories

Ppts who were closer to the World Trade Center reported more vivid and detailed memories

Amygdala activation was higher when recalling 9/11 memories for those closer to the event but not for those further away

Amygdala activation correlated with flashbulb memory formation

Conclusion

Personal proximity to a traumatic event enhances emotional memory encoding via the amygdala

The amygdala plays a key role in the formation of flashbulb memories

Direct personal experiences is a major factor in strong emotional memory recall

Evaluation

(+) High internal validity - no demand characteristics present, as memory recall cannot be consciously manipulated

(-) Low ecological validity - due to the nature of the study and the artificial fMRI setting

(-) Low generalisability - small, culturally biased sample

--> findings may not be generalisable, especially across individualistic vs. collectivistic cultures