Flashbulb memories: Special, but not so special

Abstract

This study deals with flashbulb memories associated with the assassination of the Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. A major goal of this research was to explore the consistency of such memories through comparison of the subjects' recollections on two different occasions, one year apart. The results obtained indicated that flashbulb events are accurately recalled in terms of a narrative conception of the concomitant circumstances of the event, but that the event descriptions are not consistent with respect to the specific details of these circumstances. It was concluded that the loss of information during one year contradicts the notion that flashbulb memories persist in absolute accuracy over time, as has been claimed in previous studies. Rather, these memories appear to be reconstructions based on residuals of the circumstances concomitant with the specific event (i.e., that of first hearing of the shocking news), and these memories follow the same pattern of recollection as does recollection of other autobiographical and laboratory-induced emotional events. © 1989 Psychonomic Society, Inc.