Cog : Emotion and Cognition

Question 1

Whats FLASHBULB MEMORY

Answer 1

Flashbulb memories are known to be highly detailed, exceptionally vivid “snapshots” of the moments in which surprising and personally relevant news was heard. They depend on several factors, including importance, consequences, and proximity. Because of the great emotional and personal nature of flashbulb memories, it is believed that these types of memories are highly resistant to forgetting.

Question 2

STUDY 1 RESEARCHER & AIM

Answer 2

Sharot et Al : To determine the role of biological factors on flashbulb memories

Question 3

S1 PROCEDURE

Answer 3

The study was conducted three years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in Manhattan.
2 GROUPS
G1: DOWNTOWN (CLOSER)
G2: MIDTOWN (FARTHER)

Participants were put in an fMRI machine and whilst in the scanner they were presented with word cues on the screen alongside the word summer or September to get the participant to link the words to either the summer holidays or the 9/11 attack.

Participants’ brains were scanned and recorded while they were recalling events. The memories of personal events from the summer were used as a baseline of brain activity for evaluating the nature of the 9/11 attacks.
Afterward, participants were asked to rate their memories for vividness, detail, confidence in accuracy and arousal. They were also asked to write down their personal memories.

Question 3

S1 RESULTS

Answer 3

Selective activation of the left amygdala occurred when recalling 9/11 memories BUT NOT CONTROL.
These rates were different across the groups:
G1: 81% activated amygdala
G2: 40%

Activation correlated with the proximity of PPTs to the World Trade Center during the attacks.

Question 3

S1 CONCLUSION

Answer 3

It was concluded that the activation of the left amygdala is the neural mechanism of flashbulb memories. The pattern of results confirms activation is higher when proximity is higher (so the event is more personally consequential).
This study suggests that emotion is able to play a role in cognition as seen in the phenomenon of flashbulb memory.

Question 4

S2 RESEARCHER AND AIM

Answer 4

Brown and Kulik (1977): The aim was to investigate whether surprising and personally significant events can cause flashbulb memories

Question 5

S2 PROCEDURE

Answer 5

There were 40 black and 40 white American males who filled out a questionnaire regarding the death of public figures; President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and someone they personally know. Some specific questions included “How did you feel when you heard about the event?” (to indicate the level of emotion), “How important was this event in your life?” (to indicate personal relevance), and “How often have you talked about this event?” (to indicate rehearsal). 90% of participants had very detailed memories of the death of a loved one.

Question 6

S2 RESULTS

Answer 6

there was a difference in their memories of the assassination of public officials based on the personal relevance of the event to the participant. 75% of the black participants had flashbulb memories of the murder of Martin Luther King Jr., someone they can associate more with, compared to 25% of white participants.

Question 7

S2 CONCLUSION

Answer 7

This study showed the influence of personal relevance to emotional events (death) in the formation of flashbulb memories. The more personal the memories were, the higher the participants vividly remembered them. The participants remembered more in detail of the death of their loved one, shown by the 90%. Furthermore, the difference in personal relevance was indicated by the higher percentage of black males (75%) in remembering the death of Martin Luther King Jr. compared to white Americans.