When I began to research flashbulb memory more, I found many interesting facts that make me question much of my memories that I was previously confident in. Flashbulb memories relate to snapshots of memory from moments of large surprise or emotional arousal. The most famous of these types of memories for Americans is the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. Most Americans claim that their memory of September 11th is very vivid and that they are quite confident of its accuracy, but the truth is that their memory of this event that will be coming on its 11th anniversary this year is actually very false from what really happened. Numerous studies have been done on this particular flashbulb memory. They all consist of asking people their memory of the day close to the actual date it happened and then coming back later to see how closely the two match up. Very few people retain the same memory. The same has been shown with other largely covered news events like the trail of OJ Simpson, Assignations of important figures in American history, and natural disasters. Although these memories seem to just be for important dates in history for the country, they can also be more personal. Anything that has the same meaning for you personally can jumpstart a flashbulb memory. These are called autobiography memories.
Flashbulb Memories in Relation to Large News Events
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I also found this topic to be very interesting. I have identified a few memories of my own that now seem to be flashbulb; I remember them in still or out-of-body type shots rather than as a coherent experience. There are even some that I remember as the photos I've taken, not as the actual memory of being there. These types of memories are a little bewildering-- what was I actually doing that day? Why do I remember these experiences in this way? A very interesting part of our imperfect memories to research!
I really enjoyed reading your blog because it made me think of my own memory from September 11th. I vividly remember being in third grade sitting on the carpet in the middle of the room staring at the TV surrounded by my classmates. However since learning about flash bulb memories in psych I almost doubt my ability to remember. In my head I know that this is truly what I was doing on that day, however it is scary to think your mind could contort your memories in such a way you remember fake memories.It is scary to me more than anything else and yet very intriguing to study.
I really enjoyed the blog but I am very positive in myself that I remember September 11th. I arrived at school and I went to my 3rd grade class room and the TV was on and all the students and the teachers were gathered around it watching the news. This vivid memory has stuck with me and has not changed one bit. That is why I believe that not all flashbulb memories are false like most psychologists believe.
I feel like I can remember the exact spot of where I was standing in my third grade class room when I heard the annoucement of what happened on 9/11. I'm from New York so I remember seeing alot of close friends becoming extremely emotional over the event because they had friends and family who were effected by the event. I feel like I could describe the smallest details of that day. It seems so vivid to me, but based on the evidence I wouldn't be surprised if my memory of the event was completely different from what actually occured. I found that psychological experiment very eye opening and interesting.
Its interesting to think that such a clear and vivid memory we think is accurate can actually be wrong. Even more so to think that our memories can change over time. I can personally think of a lot of flashbulb memories of my own and this makes me wonder how accurate some of my own memories are. I'd like to think that the few vivid memories I have of my childhood are true, but thinking about it I'm not sure how accurate they are and it wouldn't be too shocking to find out that they aren't.