By Annalise Siegler
A flashbulb memory is what you would call a “core memory”. This type of memory is where you remember where you were, how you felt, and what you were doing. Some would say this memory is “carved” into your brain. A flashbulb memory is a newsworthy event that has personal value to it. The journal article “Flashbulb Memories in Older Adults” by Gillian Cohen, Martin A. Conway, and Elizabeth A. Maylor, explains that “The term flashbulb memories, which was introduced by Brown and Kulik (1977), has been used to denote unusually vivid and detailed veridical memories that persist unchanged over long periods of time”. The article also describes flashbulb memories as “ The existence, nature, and aetiology of flashbulb memories have been the subject of considerable debate and remain controversial. According to one view (Brown & Kulik, 1977; Gold, 1987; Schmidt & Bohannon, 1988), flashbulbs are a distinct type of memory created by a special encoding mechanism that is triggered by high levels of emotion, surprise, and consequentiality ( Cohen, Conway, and Maylor 1).
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