ABSTRACT

A flashbulb memory is a highly detailed and vivid autobiographical memory for the circumstances in which one first learned of a surprising, consequential and emotionally arousing event. How retelling of different features of a flashbulb memory changes over time is not totally understood. Moreover, little is known about how the emotional feeling experienced by individuals when they learned about the event modulates these changes. In this study, we explored changes over time in American individuals’ retelling of their flashbulb memories of the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001. We conducted textual analysis of 824 testimonies collected from the same 206 individuals 1 week, 11, 25 and again 119 months after the attack. Results showed individuals were more likely to report temporal and emotional details in their retelling early after the event and spatial details in their long-term retelling. In addition, the intensity of emotions felt upon hearing the news about the attack influenced how individuals reported their flashbulb memories over time. Overall, this study provides further support for theories suggesting different rates of forgetting for different canonical features of emotional arousal events.

摘要

闪光灯记忆是一种非常详细和生动的自传体记忆，用于记录人们第一次了解到令人惊讶的、后果性的和情绪激动的事件的情况。闪光灯记忆的不同特征的复述如何随时间变化尚不完全清楚。此外，人们对了解事件后所经历的情绪感受如何调节这些变化知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们探讨了美国人复述他们对 2001 年 9 月 11 日恐怖袭击事件的闪光灯记忆随时间的变化。我们对在 1 周、11、25 和 119 个月内从同一 206 个人收集的 824 份证词进行了文本分析攻击后。结果表明，个人更有可能在事件发生后的早期复述中报告时间和情感细节，在长期复述中报告空间细节。此外，听到有关袭击的消息时所感受到的情绪强度会影响个人随着时间的推移报告他们的闪光灯记忆的方式。总体而言，这项研究为关于情绪唤醒事件的不同典型特征的不同遗忘率的理论提供了进一步的支持。