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Flashbulb Memories: Why We Remember Emotionally Charged Moments

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Why can you remember what you were doing when catastrophes occurred, such as the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, the Challenger disaster, or the assassination of John F. Kennedy?

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Solution Summary

Your tutorial is 304 words plus two references and discusses why certain moments create vivid memories.

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Memories for ordinary things, like where you parked today, are difficult to remember because there is nothing particularly unusual about them. Your special huggie toy as a child or the first time you went to the circus are easier to remember because they are not ordinary (only one huggie toy was that special one and only went to the circus once). So, the more novel the experience, the most likely it is to stick in your memory. Can you remember a particularly unusual time you ate out and what you ordered? Maybe. Can you remember what you ...

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Carol Sargent, PhD
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  • BSc, University of Virginia
  • MSc, University of Virginia
  • PhD, Georgia State University
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