Flashbulb memory Flashcards
Flashbulb memory
A special type of autobiographical memory that may differ in terms of its memory properties, conditions to create, and how they may be processed.
-Often vivid, detailed, and confident
-Usually talk about the reception of the event
-Lifelong memory
Now-Print-Model
Biological mechanism to create a flashbulb memory
-Limbic system receives novel stimulus
-Discharge retroceptive information
-‘Now-print’ command
-Recent brain activity is printed
Brown and Kulik - JFK assassination
observe canonical qualities of FBM.
Looked for major attributes
-What they remember of the act
-who told them
-where were they
-How they felt
-How others felt
-What they did after
as well as minor attributes such as day and time and whether or not others were present
Ordinary memory
-Vary in distinctiveness
-Consequential events remembered better even if they are not surprising
-Emotionality of experiences
these factors may feed into the narrative of elaboration and rehearsal
Talarico and Ruben
compared ordinary autobiographical memories and flashbulb memories and looked across multiple points in time
objective memory measures: consistency to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, in recalling event, how many details reported
subjective memory measures: how well do you recollect, how confident are you in accuracy, how vivid, do you remember it happening, how coherent
5 characteristics of Flashbulb memories
-Accuracy
-Consistency
-Longevity
-Confidence
-Vividness
Talarico and Ruben - Results
-The number of details recalled across time goes down at the same rate between FBM and AM memories
-No more permanent than ABM follows typical Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, even tended to remember FBM a little less.
-No reduction in confidence in FBM over time, but the reduction in confidence in AM over time.
-For FBM, vividness stays high across all of the time points, AM memory decreases over time.
Experience of FBM are different than AM
3 conditions necessary to produce FBM
-Consequentiality
-Distinctiveness
-Emotional affect
Talarico and Ruben - Distinctivness
Nearly half of the distinctive information was wrong and is not connected to accuracy.
Talarico and Ruben - Emotional Affect
Measured using valence (how positive or negative indv. feels)
-Flashbulb memories were more negative than regular ABM. Negative affect associated with memories were maintained over time.
four factors related to individual processing of the flashbulb event
-Significance
-Emotional Intensity
-Extent to which event is rehearsed
-Accommodation of various factors
Talarico and Ruben - Emotional Intensity
Asked how intense experience was (physiologically and emotionality)
-For visceral, FBM was much more intense than an ordinary AM memory.
-For intensity, FBM was stronger and more intense experience emotional aspect than ordinary ABM
degree to which the emotion was felt was not maintained over time. Decreased.
Talarico and Ruben - Rehearsal
People rehearsed FBM more than ordinary ABM which may be why the vividness and emotional affect is maintained. However, does not maintain emotional accuracy.
