What Are Flashbulb Memories?

Flash memory is a type of autobiographical memory that refers to vivid and important public events (such as the assassination of a country's president, the Olympic Games, the World Cup, NATO air strikes against the Yugoslav Federation, and the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia, etc.). Specifically, when an important event occurs, people can not only remember the event, but also information that is not directly related to the important event, such as details of where they were, who they were with, and what they were doing .

Very vivid memories are produced as a result of dramatic events in the surroundings. These memories are rich in detail and kept for a very long time. Just like a flash, you are not only impressed by the flash, but also remember the area illuminated by the flash.

Chinese name: Flash memory
Foreign name: flashbulb memory / FBM

Applied discipline: psychology
Application range: Experimental psychology

Proposing the concept of flash memory

Brown and Kulik first proposed the concept of FBM. They believed that FBM is a special case of autobiographical memory (memory related to their own life experiences), and people can remember the specific details when they first heard the event: for example, When and where you heard the event; who you were with; what you were doing; how you felt when you heard the event.

- Flash Memory Flash Memory-Model Classification

FBM can be divided into three theoretical models: photographic model, comprehensive model and emotional-integrative model.

Flash memory photography model

The photographic model believes that the event itself and its surroundings are stored in memory in a very realistic way, just like a photograph saves the subject and the background indiscriminately. The determinants of the photographic model include: the novelty, surprise, importance of the event and its emotional state and explicit retelling.

Flash memory comprehensive model

The comprehensive model considers that the determinants of FBM are divided into factors that affect FBM formation (such as emotional responses, the importance of events to individuals and prior knowledge) and factors that affect FBM maintenance (such as restatements). The comprehensive model describes the formation of FBM through three processes that work in time and can be performed independently or together.

Flash memory emotion integration model

According to the emotional-integrative model, the FBM formation and maintenance process is based on the originality of the original event and its importance to the individual. The evaluation of the novelty of the event has a surprising response, which directly affects the FBM and leads to the formation of the FBM. ^[1]

Main features of flash memory

1) distinctiveness;

2) accuracy;

3) Persistence;

Research on Flash Memory Theory

In September 2001, the third day after the September 11 terrorist attacks, more than 3,000 Americans from 7 cities including New York participated in flash memory research. Researchers asked participants to tell all the details of their September 11th memories, the environment they were in, and their inner feelings. To determine what memories persisted, the researchers performed the same study on all participants 11 and 35 months after the attack.

According to statistics, about 60% of people still remember a lot of details after 1 year, and after 3 years, this proportion dropped to 50%, indicating that flash memory is not more accurate than other types of memory. But this will not affect the fidelity of people in recalling the "September 11" incident, nor will it reduce their level of belief in the details in their memories. The findings were published in the journal Experimental Psychology.