Emotion and Cognition Flashcards
(12 cards)
What is the Flashbulb Memory theory proposed by Brown & Kulik (1977)?
It suggests that emotionally significant and surprising events can create vivid, detailed, and lasting memories. These memories are often resistant to forgetting.
What was the aim of Brown & Kulik (1977)?
To investigate whether shocking and personally significant events can lead to the formation of flashbulb memories.
What was the method of Brown & Kulik’s study?
40 black and 40 white American male participants were given a questionnaire about their memories of the deaths of public figures (e.g., JFK, Martin Luther King Jr.) and someone they personally knew. They were asked to recall details such as:
Where they were
Who they were with
What they were doing
How they found out
How they felt
The event’s importance
How often they talked about it
What were the key results of Brown & Kulik (1977)?
90% of participants recalled many details about the events.
75% of Black participants had flashbulb memories for Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, compared to 33% of white participants—showing influence of personal relevance.
What did Brown & Kulik conclude about flashbulb memories?
Emotionally charged and personally significant events are more likely to be remembered vividly.
The findings supported the idea of enhanced memory due to emotional and personal relevance.
What are key limitations of Brown & Kulik (1977)?
Retrospective self-report—memories may not be accurate
Correlational, not causal.
Gender and cultural bias: only American males studied.
What are some strengths of Brown & Kulik (1977)?
First empirical study on flashbulb memory.
Led to lots of follow-up research.
What does Neisser (1982) argue against the FBM theory?
Neisser argued that we don’t know which events are important until after they occur, so vivid memories may result from repeated rehearsal and internal narrative, not from emotional arousal at the time.
What did Neisser & Harsch (1992) find in their Challenger disaster study?
Participants gave distorted accounts 2 years later compared to their original responses, despite being highly confident
What does Neisser (1982) argue about the nature of FBM?
He criticized FBM by claiming we don’t recognize an event’s importance until after it occurs. He believed vivid memories result from repeated rehearsal and narrative construction
What did Neisser & Harsch (1992) demonstrate about FBM accuracy?
Their Challenger study showed that although participants were confident in their vivid memories, 40% gave distorted accounts two years later, suggesting FBMs are not immune to forgetting or reconstruction.
What is a conceptual limitation of the flashbulb memory theory itself?
The theory assumes that emotional intensity alone leads to more accurate memory. However, research shows that emotion boosts vividness and confidence—not necessarily accuracy.
