Use your knowledge of the cognitive approach in psychology to describe
and explain one contemporary issue or debate.
The following essay will describe and explain Flash bulb memory using
the knowledge of the cognitive approach. Flash bulb memory is the
memory that is a long-lasting and vivid memory of a specific event and
the context in which it occurred. The event is important and
emotionally significant (e.g. a national or personal event). The term
‘flashbulb’ refers to the fact it is photographic image of the event
and setting has been encoded, as the memory is so detailed and
accurate.
This theory of flash bulb memory was supported by different
researchers for example Cohen et al (1994) and Brown and Kulik (1977).
In the Brown and Kulik (1977) experiment they put forward that
flashbulb memories are not only accurate but also very long lasting,
but also include the following information; informant, place were the
news was heard, ongoing event, individuals own emotional state and
consequences of the event for the individual. To carry out this
experiment Brown and Kulik asked 80 participants what they were doing
at the time of hearing about President Kennedy’s assassination. They
found out most of the people recalled quite well what they were doing,
showing us that flashbulb memories are a unique type of memory that is
immune from the usual process of decay and distortion.
Cohen et al also predicted that true flashbulb memories are more
enduring so less vulnerable to forgetting than other types of memory.
The resignation of the former Conservative party leader Mrs Thatcher
was used to test people’s flashbulb memory. Younger and older adults
were questioned a fortnight of Mrs Thatcher’s resignation and they
were then questioned 11 months later. The findings revealed that 90%
of younger participants and 42% of older adults had flashbulb memory.
It is hard to know whether the high levels of memory shown by the
participants were due to the distinctiveness and emotional impact of
the event or to the fact that the resignation was rehearsed.