Memory is always the one that can bring us back to everywhere we missed. People always forget and remember things. When I was a kid, my grandfather always told us that although they are old and not able to remember a lot, they still remember several events vividly just like a video playing in front of them. They can still talk about the details from that time like what kind of dress my grandma wore for their first date or what he’s feeling when he heard there was something important happened to their family. Flashbulb memory plays a big role here.
The flashbulb memory is “a person’s memory for the circumstances surrounding shocking, highly charged events (Chapter 8, 2014)”, which is the situation my grandparent have experienced. Through their description, I acknowledged lots of things from their generation. However, some of my grandpa’s memory is strange to be remembered such as I do not think people will normally remember what kind of sock he wore for the day from a long time ago, although he taught me that it is a very special day. I understand it after I know more about flashbulb memory. According to Perera, “the amygdala seems to play a role in the formation and retrieval of flashbulb memories (Perera, 2021).” In an fMRI test, the amygdala area highly reacts to emotion. The existent of the amygdala in flashbulb memory decides that it focuses more on emotion instead of memory itself. That’s why although both of my grandparents remember the event, they can have a big argument about what their friends said sometimes. The feeling that they received can affect how well they remembered the event.
We are always remembering and forgetting our memory. It is surprising that emotion can help us remember more details thoughtfully. Flashbulb memory is a person’s memory that is affected by the situation around, which is because the amygdala is playing a big part here. Although we have lots of events and things that need to be remembered, and we will keep losing something unconsciously, the feeling we felt will sometimes help us make it long-lasting whether bad or good.
Reference:
Perera, A. (2021, March 3). Flashbulb memory. Flashbulb Memory | Simply Psychology.
Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/flashbulb-
memory.html.
Cengage Learning. (2014). Chapter 8. In Cognitive psychology connecting mind,
research and Everyday experience. essay.
Thank you for an enjoyable blog. I too understand emotion with memory, but also the senses bring back memories to me as well. Smelling certain foods reminds me of being with my Grandmother as she cooked the holiday meal. Hearing a specific song is also a trigger for some memories as well. The Flash Bulb memories are the most impactful but I know that they are now colored with my thoughts and points of view on the memory and not necessarily what “really” happened.
Thank you for sharing and having such an informational post.
Your blog reminded me of the stories that my grandmother told me once as I was growing up. My grandmother did not necessarily express the vivid details of some flashbulb memories, but I can say that most of her memories and stories that she told were memorable and emotionally driven. One that comes to mind was my grandmother’s recollection of her coming to Canada. (My grandparents on my mother’s side are Canadian) She had stated that my grandfather had come over from Croatia and established himself with a job and housing prior to sending for her to make the voyage. When she was summoned, she jumped on a ship and made the long voyage across the ocean. She characterized her trip as the worse experience of her life. She described the ship as having less than ideal conditions as she was placed in the bowels of the ship where she remained for the most part throughout the voyage. She did not give many specific details other than the ship was dark, the trip never seemed to end, and she was physically ill the whole time. I could picture her in a lowly lit, small, cramped room, sick as a dog, in a ship bobbing with the waves and her thinking the journey would never end. From her depiction I could feel her pain. Most of her stories were that way, what they lacked in detail they made up for with the emotions she had at the time.
According to Goldstein (2011) there is some debate among researchers as to whether flashbulb memories are much different from regular memories and many people believe flashbulb memories are more intense and accurate than regular memories. With that said, I agree with you that the feeling that we receive during an event can and does affect how well we will remember the event. The emotion is the catalyst to the memory. With the passage of time many memories, even flash bulb memories, are susceptible to false memories. (False memories occur when you remember something that either did not happen or recall it happening differently than it did occur.) (Goldstein, 2011) In the case of your grandparents, they would debate about what their friends said (the details) and hopefully come to some resolution. The resolved version of the event will become their new memory of the event since our memory does not always remain the same it updates. In the case of my grandmother specific details were never mentioned perhaps lost over time or in translation as my grandmother did not have great command over the English language. In both cases the basics of the emotionally charged events were recalled via flashbulb memories and passed on to us as priceless memories. Thank you for igniting memories of my grandmother.
References
Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience (4th ed.). Wadsworth, Inc.
Flashlight memory is so cool. I liked how you wee about to explain on what it is and how it works. I never really understood it until now. I had always remembered when I was little maybe four or five years old, my family and I went to New Jersey for vacation, and we went to the pool. I was having fun until it wasn’t so fun anymore, while my father was in the pool and my mother was eating, I ended up deciding to run around the pool and I did not realize that the pool outline and ended up diving right into the deep end of the pool. I was terrified after that it is almost like PTSD for me, but I know that if it was not for my dad being able to catch me just in time, I do not know what would have happened. Even though my life has changed over the years I have never forgotten it and still fear walking around the pool.