A
flashbulb memory is a detailed and vivid memory that is stored
on one occasion and retained for a lifetime. Usually, such
memories are associated with important historical or autobiographical
events. For example, many people in the US who were adults
in the 1960s have flashbulb memories for the assassinations
of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and can recall
in elaborate detail when and how they heard the news. (Younger
Americans sometimes have flashbulb memories for the explosion
of the spaceship Challenger.) By contrast, few people have
detailed memories of events which happened the day before
or after each assassination. People also may form flashbulb
memories of important personal events, such as hearing about
the death of a family member or witnessing an unusual trauma
such as a disaster. In each case, what makes the memory "special"
is the emotional arousal at the moment that the event was
registered. Subsequent remembering, discussion -- and even
seeing TV footage -- can all also help to sharpen the memory.
Flashbulb memories are not necessarily accurate
in every respect, but they demonstrate that the emotional
content of an event can greatly enhance the strength of the
memory formed. Flashbulb memories are thought to require the
participation of the amygdala,
a brain structure involved in emotional memory, and possibly
other brain systems which regulate mood and alertness.
Further reading: D. Schacter (1996). Searching
for Memory: The Brain, the Mind and the Past. New York:
Basic Books.
by Catherine E. Myers. Copyright © 2006 Memory Loss and the Brain |
