A Psychology of Memory: Flash Bulb Memories - Essay Example

Running Head: Flash Bulb Memories Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code and Name: University: Date the Assignment is due: Flash Bulb Memories Introduction As the name suggests, flash bulb memories are in depth, outstandingly vivid `snapshots’ of the instant and circumstances in which shocking consequential or psychologically moving news were received. Characteristics of flash bulb memories include place, what was going on at the time the news were received, who broke the news, how the news affected you, other effect and what happened thereafter. Flash bulb memories are very hard to forget. They are determined by a high degree of surprise, a haphazard enlightenment and brevity although a photograph taken by flash bulb captures every thing in its range, flash bulb memories are incomplete to a large extent. These memories are one kind of long term memories. Of late, there has been an upward trend in the number of studies on flashback memories. The studies are geared towards establishing whether flashback memories are intrinsically more accurate than other types of long term memories. Some researchers have suggested that flashback memories can be differentiated from other long term memories provided there are elements of individual significance, consequentiality, feelings and shock. On the other hand, other researchers suppose that ordinary long term memories can also be truthful and permanent if highly unique, personally important or repeated aver a time. In 1977, Brown and Kulik came up with the special mechanism hypothesis arguing that there exists a unique geological mechanism that is triggered by an event exceeding certain levels of shock. Consequently, this creates a long term record of the happenings surrounding the event. Flash bulb memories are therefore more accurate than other long term memories. This is because they have special characteristics which differentiate them from other long term memories. The effects created by this special mechanism are comprehensive, accurate, and vibrant and are not prone to forgetting. The special mechanism hypothesis is for example supported by data concerning how people remembered the circumstances in which they heard about the attempted assassination of President Reagan. Neurological evidence exists to support a special mechanism for flash bulb memories. In this case, emotionally neutral event such as birthday parties were compared to emotionally arousing events such as the death of Princess Diana. Long term memories for psychologically neutral events were found to be linked to medial temporal lobe function to a large extent and also to frontal lobe function. However, there was no evidence of any effect of either of the functions on memory for the flush bulb event. This suggests that there might be a unique neurobiological mechanism related to psychologically touching flashbulb memories. Researchers have shown that flash bulb memories could also result from non shocking events and non significant events. By simply asking people to recollect vivid, long term memories, the memories produced contain the six characteristics of flash bulb memories. Such memories are as a result of ordinary long term memory mechanism. Researches also suggest that flash bulb memories are not entirely resistant to forgetting. Other researchers have also suggested that flash bulb memories are not always precise but are experienced with immense vibrancy and self-confidence. Although they are generally as a result of news of a surprising public event, they can be caused by other things. Also, not all public events bring about flashback memories. Arguably therefore, flash bulb memories may be regarded as tremendously vivid autobiography memories (Talarico & Rubin, 2003). One of the models developed to explain flashback memories is the photographic model by Brown and Kulik. To support the model, they asked participants to remember and record the activities that were happening when they heard about unique public happenings. Based on the result of their experiment, they concluded that for a flash bulb account to take place in the presence of a stimulus happening, there must be a high level of surprise, significance, and psychological provocation .the degree of unexpectedness and shock which vary between individuals is the first factor in recording the event. The second facto is the degree of consequentiality (significance) which in turn gives rise to psychological arousal. Consequentiality is the effect an event would have on an individual’s life. High level of the three factors would lead to rehearsal being either convert or overt. The rehearsal in turn creates stronger and intricate flash bulb accounts. In this way, flashbulb memory becomes more available and vibrantly remembered for a long time (Metayer, 1996). Comprehensive model of flash bulb memories is based on comparison of memory consistency across different variables e.g. use of respondents from different ethnicity or nationalities. Unlike Brown and Kulik’s model, the model uses the variables of affect, interest and knowledge, and importance. The comprehensive model shows an interconnected relationship between the mentioned variables. In this case, knowledge and interest affect the degree of personal importance for a person. This in turn affects a person’s psychological arousal. The three variables in turn determine the frequency of rehearsal with high levels of the variables contributing to higher level of rehearsal and vice versa. This in turn enables a person to vividly remember attributes of the event, which include people, place and how the situation was. Another model used to explain flash bulb memories is the emotional-integrative model. The model integrates photographic and the comprehensive model. The model argues that the first step towards registering a flush bulb memory is individual’s level of shock related to the event. The degree of shock leads to emotional arousal. The arousal is also a combination of consequentiality of the happening to the individual and his effective attitude .the emotional arousal of the person then directly leads to creation of flash memory. To strengthen association and hence a person’s ability to recall vividly, emotional arousal and the person’s attitude lead to overt rehearsal of the event thus leading to creation of flashback memory. This is the model that best describes the creation of flash bulb memories. The last model used to describe the formation of flash bulb memories is the importance driven emotional reactions model. The model argues s that individual consequences have an effect on the extent of emotional reactions. The consequences hence become critical factors in the development and maintenance of the memories. The model was based on if traumatic events occurred during Marmora earthquake. The results showed that memories of those who experienced the event were unchanged over time. Re-test results however showed more complete and consistent long term memories of the victims compared to those of the comparison group. Based on the results, it was concluded that consequences play a very important role in the formation of flash bulb memories (Winograd, 2005). Many arguments have been put forward regarding whether flash bulb memories are more accurate than other long term memories. Other arguments have been whether flash bulb memories are so accurate as to warrant them being classified as a separate group of long term memories from other memories. From research, it has been conclude that flash bulb memories are more accurate than other long term memories. This is because of importance of an event, the consequences resulting from the event, the distinctiveness of the event personal involvement with the event, and proximity which enhance the accuracy of remembering in flashbulb memories. People have argued that flash bulb memories are not stable over time. A research on the ability to recall flash bulb memories for challenger space shuttle was carried out to establish the stability of flash bulb memories over time. The study also considered the importance of the event to participants. The results of the study indicated that flashbulb memories were still accurate even after a period of nine months. This is because 89 percent of the participants accurately recalled location, event, which broke the news, and how they reacted on hearing the news of the explosion. Importance of an event is critical to the formation of flash bulb memory. In a research to verify this, some news events were chosen such that some would be of importance to some respondents and not others. Results found that when an event was deemed important to one group, it had c relatively high degree of flash bulb memories. The vice versa was true for another group that deemed the news event less important. Rehearsal of important events also increases flash bulb memories. Consequentiality of an event is also a very important determinant of ability to recollect flash back memories. The proposition is based on flash bulb memories of Marmara earth quake. Enormous evidence based on research reveals that consequences of an event are important in determining the accuracy of flash bulb memories (Koriat, Goldsmith & Pansky, 2000). Experiences could be distinct while others could be familiar or similar to every other day happenings. Distinctiveness (uniqueness) of an event is considered to be the main reason behind accuracy of flash bulb memories. All accounts of flash bulb memories documented as being most accurate have been distinctive from normal long-term memories. Researches carried out show that uniqueness of an event determines the ability to recall it. During the Roma prieta earthquake of 1989, a higher degree of accuracy for recalling the earthquake was noted in participants with distinctive experiences during the earthquake. It has also been found that personal involvement contributes to more accurate recollection of flash bulb memories. For example, the people who experienced the earthquake in turkey could recall accurately about the event than those who didn’t have direct experience. Proximity also plays a very important role in accurately recalling flash back memories. Three years after the 9/11terrorist attack in the US, the people who were closer to the world trade center were found to more accurately recall the event than those who were far from the building. Personal involvement and proximity to a flash bulb event could explain greater memories in flash bulb ev4ents.this is because there could be more significant consequences for the people involved e.g. death of a loved one which creates emotional arousal in the brain which is involved in the recall of flash bulb memories(Cohen,1998). Some studies suggest that flash bulb memories are not more accurate than other types of long term memories. For example, it has been noted that memories of graduation or emotional experiences at childhood can be as vibrant and as accurate as flash bulb memories. In a research, undergraduates recorded their most vivid memories and were asked questions about them. The memories recalled were of high personal importance but not of public interest. Although their memories were not of public importance, they had the same consequentiality and shock. This means that flash bulb memories could just be a subset of vibrant memories. However, majority of research reveal that flash bulb memories are more accurate than other long term memories. For example, memories of the 9/11attacks were compared with other long term memories. It was found that after a year, there was a strong relationship between initial and subsequent recalling of the attack. This means that flash bulb memories have very good retention as opposed to a less positive relationship for other long term memories. Memory for other events without emotional arousal is not as vivid and accurate as emotionally arousing events such as the death of a loved one. Therefore, flash bulb memories are more accurately remembered compared to other long term memories. Research has shown that the degree of vibrancy, remembrance, and the accuracy of the memory decline in other long term memories but not flash bulb memories(Wiley,2003). Conclusion Even though at times the degree of consistency of flash bulb memories and other long term memories may not differ as they both decrease with time, flash bulb me4moriesare more accurate than the other long term memories. The high degree of accuracy is associated with the nature of events that bring about flash bulb memories. Events that bring about flash bulb memories are distinct from other daily events. This is one characteristic that makes one to be able to vividly remember an event. Furthermore, the fact that the events are of direct importance to the individual makes the person to vividly remember the events. Other factors that are responsible for the high degree of accuracy in flash bulb memories include consequentiality, personal involvement and proximity of the event. When all this facts are combined, it is no doubt that the individual involved will vividly and accurately recall the events. References Cohen, N. J. (1988). Is there a special flashbulb-memory mechanism? Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1(117), 171-181. Koriat, A., Goldsmith, M. & Pansky, A. (2000).Towards a psychology of memory accuracy. Annual Review of Psychology, 51(1), 481-537. Metayer, S. (1996). Children's memories in the wake of the Challenger. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 153:618-625. Talarico, J.M. & Rubin, D.C. (2003). Confidence, not consistency, characterizes flashbulb memories. New York, Cambridge University press. Wiley, J. (2003). A New Flashbulb Memory Model Applied to the Marmara Earthquake. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 17(1), 503- 517. Winograd, J.B. (2005). Ecological and traditional approaches to the study of memory. New York: Cambridge University Press. Read More