emotion and cognition

Question 1

what does Sigmund Freud claim?

Answer 1

we subconsciously repress memories of traumatic events

Question 2

what the flashbulb memories are?

Answer 2

they are the memories of the circumstances in which one learns about a surprising and consequential event. Brown and Kulik claimed that these memories are formed by a special mechanism, that these memories are very vivid and detailed, that they are rather accurate, and that they are resistant to forgetting.
-flashbulb memories are distinctively vivid, highly detailed, accurate and long-lasting memories formed at times of intense emotion, such as significant public events.
according to Brown and Kulik, they occur when the following factors are present:
1) when the event is surprising to the person
2)when the event has consequences/importance for one’s own life
3)when the event is arousing/produces strong emotions.
it is a special type of episodic memory.

Question 3

what information does flashbulb memory have?

Answer 3

• informant
• place
• ongoing event
• individual’s own emotional state
• emotional state of others
• consequences of the event for the individual

Question 4

method of flashbulb memory

Answer 4

interview right after the event, then one more interview after 6 months, a year, 18 months.

Question 5

study 1

Answer 5

Brown and Kulik (1977) flashbulb memories of consequential events

aim: to investigate if FBMs are a distinct form of memory: more vivid, distinct, highly detailed, as opposed to everyday memories.
pps: 80 pps (age 20-60), 40 Caucasian 40 African Americans
procedure: pps were asked to answer questionnaires about how vividly they recalled, where they were and how they felt when they found out about important public events, such as the assassination of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. they were also asked if they had any flashbulbs memories of personal events such as the birth or death of a family member. answers were submitted in the form of free recall of unlimited length.
results: pps had very clear memories of where they were, what they did, and what they felt when…. they also reported surprise and consequentialism. 73% said they had typically flashbulbs memories associated with a personal shock such as the sudden death of a close relative.
evaluation: the memories in the study were all flashbulbs memories (private or public). they did not compare them to everyday memories, so we cannot be sure that flashbulbs memories are really different from ordinary memories. the accuracy of the pps’ memories is not measured, so we are not sure if the memories are just vivid or vivid and accurate.

Question 6

study 2

Answer 6

Berntsen and Thomsen (2005) personal memories for remote historical events: accuracy and clarity of flashbulbs memories related to World War II.

aim: to investigate the accuracy and clarity of flashbulb memories related to word war II.
pps: 145 older Danes age 72-89. A control group of 65 faculty members, staff, and psychology majors aged 20.60, 46 women.
procedure: a questionnaire. pps were also asked for their memories of the reception of the news of the Danish occupation (April 1940) and liberation (May 1945) during the WWII.
results: almost all of the pps (97.2%) reported vivid memories for the invasion and (95.9%) liberation. the older pps remembered context-related details, such as the weather, the day of the week, the time of the announcement, whereas the control group generally refrained from answering. the older pps were far more accurate than what could be predicted on the basis of results from the test- retest studies using short delays. pps with reported ties to the resistance movement had more vivid, detailed, and accurate memories than did pps without such ties.