Gender differences in flashbulb memories elicited by the Clarence Thomas hearings

American students and other adults aged 19-75 completed a questionnaire about flashbulb memories and recollections of autobiographical events elicited by the Senate hearings for confirmation of Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court Justice. The respondents were less likely to recall vivid image memories than were respondents in earlier studies about memories of the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. Women were significantly more likely than men to report vivid image memories and recall of autobiographical events elicited by the hearings, but they did not differ significantly from men in the ratings of these memories. Women were also significantly more likely than men to report specific memories of having been victims of sexual harassment and abuse. Women recalled reconsidering incidents in which they might have been victims of sexual harassment more often than men did. Exposure to media coverage did not differ by gender, although the amount of coverage paid attention to did correlate with the number of personal memories elicited.