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Confidence, not consistency, characterizes flashbulb memories.

Jennifer M Talarico1, David C Rubin

  • 1Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.

Psychological Science
|August 22, 2003
PubMed
Summary
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Flashbulb memories of the September 11 attacks are not more accurate than everyday memories over time. While vividness and belief in accuracy declined for everyday memories, flashbulb memories were only perceived as more accurate, not actually more accurate.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Memory Studies
  • Trauma Research

Background:

  • Flashbulb memories, often associated with significant public events like the September 11 terrorist attacks, were once thought to be highly accurate and resistant to forgetting.
  • However, recent research questions the special nature of these memories, particularly regarding their accuracy over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term accuracy and characteristics of flashbulb memories compared to everyday memories.
  • To examine the relationship between emotional intensity during encoding and memory accuracy, belief in accuracy, and later psychological symptoms.

Main Methods:

  • 54 Duke University students recalled their first awareness of the September 11 attacks and a recent everyday event.
  • Memory consistency, vividness, recollection, and belief in accuracy were assessed at 1, 6, and 32 weeks post-event.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Initial emotional responses were recorded and correlated with memory measures and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

    • Main Results:

    • Memory consistency declined over time for both flashbulb and everyday memories, with no significant difference between the two.
    • Ratings of vividness, recollection, and belief in accuracy decreased only for everyday memories.
    • Initial emotional intensity correlated with later belief in the accuracy of flashbulb memories, but not their consistency.
    • Higher initial emotion ratings predicted increased PTSD symptoms.

    Conclusions:

    • Flashbulb memories are not inherently more accurate than everyday memories; their perceived accuracy is a key distinguishing feature.
    • The emotional impact of an event influences the subjective experience of memory accuracy rather than objective recall consistency.
    • Understanding the factors influencing memory perception is crucial, especially in the context of traumatic events and their psychological sequelae.