Flashbulb Memories the \'Flashbulb\' Memory

Flashbulb Memories

The 'Flashbulb' Memory

FLASHBULB MEMORIES

Different individuals retain different memories of the same event even when that event is photographed and in a permanent record however, over time the 'actual' or autobiographical memories, which are those experienced first-hand, fade away as the collective societal memories of 'flashbulb' moments take precedence and stand as the absolute truth.

A flashbulb memory is described as a "detailed and vivid memory that is stored on one occasion and retained for a lifetime. Usually such memoires are associated with important historical or autobiographical events." (Memory Loss and the Brain, 2008) According to the journal of Memory Loss and the Brain (2008) 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 amygdale, a brain structure involved in emotional memory, and possibly other brain systems which regulate mood and alertness." (Memory Loss & the Brain, 2008)

I. Examination of the 'Flashbulb Memory'

The theory of the flashbulb memory is that this formation of memory results from: (1) Recognition of a high level of novelty or unexpectedness; and (2) A test for biological significance to the individual. (Wilson and Cook, nd) There is however, reported to be no empirical data to support this theory. Wilson and Cook (nd) report the studies of Brown and Kulik on flashbulb memories and report findings that the level of accuracy was shown to decrease over time. Wilson and Cook report that the data indicate that "flashbulb memories are neither uniformly accurate nor immune to forgetting and like other memoires, flashbulb memories are subject to reconstructive errors and to a decline over time in the amount of information that can be retrieved. The work of Charles A. Weaver III entitled: "Do You Need a 'Flash' to Form a Flashbulb Memory?" relates that the memory pattern was found in a study to be "similar for both public and personal flashbulb memories." (nd) Weaver also reports that there were no differences in memory accuracy between public and personal flashbulb memories except that public memories were more accurately recall than personal memories in some questions of the study. Weaver's study states findings that there was more confidence held in the public memory events than the private memory events. (nd) Weaver states that the effect of the 'flash' is that it "appears to have a profound effect on the 'confidence' with which these memoires are held." (nd)

II. Collective Memory

Collective memory theory can be traced to Emile Durkheim (1958-1917) who wrote a great part of "The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life" (1912) and to Durkheim's student Maurice Halbwachs (1877-1945) author of the landmark work entitled "The Social Frameworks of Memory" (1925). Halbwachs who supported the sociological critique of philosophy of Durkheim and held that the study of memory "is not a matter of reflecting on the properties of the subjective mind; rather, memory is a matter of how minds work together in society, how their operations are structured by social arrangements" (Olick, nd) and specifically stating "It is in society that people normally acquire their memories. It is also in society that they recall, recognize and localize their memories." (Halbwachs, 1992, p. 38, as cited in Olick, nd)

III. New Study on Flashbulb Memories

The work of Roger Highfield (2006) entitled: "9/11 Study Reveals How Flashbulb Memories Form" states that a study conducted among individuals in New York who witnessed the events of September 11, 2001, "has revealed a brain region that may be responsible for creating what psychologists call 'flashbulb memories', remarkable picture-like collections." The findings in this study indicate that "flashbulb memories arise when a person witnesses events first hard, not from any special neural process."(Highfield, 2006) According to Highfield the results of the study which was reported "in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicate personal involvement may be important in engaging the amygdale when recalling 9/11 events." (2006) The amygdale is "a small, almond-shaped brain structure known to mediate emotion's influence on memory." (Highfield, 2006)

Summary and Conclusion