Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you learned of the September 11 terrorist attacks that occurred 25 years ago?

Do you remember what you saw on television or how you felt? Is your memory highly detailed, and are you confident that what you are remembering is an accurate recollection of those details?

For most people who lived through the event, their answers to those questions will be a resounding “yes!” As a memory researcher, I know long-lasting and vivid “flashbulb memories” typically are for mundane events like driving to work or cooking dinner. These memories are made remarkable only due to their association with learning about remote and exceptional public events.

Learning about a remarkable event

Flashbulb memories are not memories of direct involvement in a newsworthy event. Instead, they are recollections of the exact moment and surrounding context of when someone learned of the event.

If you, for example, lived through an earthquake, your memory is likely to include traumatic and vivid details of what you were doing when the earthquake struck. You would have memories of where you were, who you were with, and your thoughts and feelings at the time.

However, the phenomenon of someone having a similarly strong memory when they’ve merely learned about an earthquake that occurred many miles away is what makes the flashbulb memory phenomenon significant.

When comparing flashbulb memories with ordinary memories of everyday experiences, my colleague and I found that in both........

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