FLASHBULB MEMORIES
WHY ITS HARD TO FORGET
THE PAST
BY
ROB HUTCHINSON
WEBSITE
WWW.ISPECTRUMMAGAZINE.COM
A
major world event or an
accident you witnessed or experienced yourself, these memories can seem as vivid as the day you
experienced them many years later.
Take for example 9/11. If you ask anybody what they were doing that day as
the Twin Towers fell the vast majority
will be able to tell you where they were,
what they were doing, even what the
weather was like. The reason for these
4
exceptionally sharp memories are
that they are flashbulb memories (FBMs)
a snapshot taken at a shocking or highly
emotional time that sears the event into
the memory. But do these FBMs diminish
over time and what affect does it have on
eyewitness testimony? Surely a memory
as powerful as this will be strong
evidence in court and be an asset to the
criminal justice system.