The Correlation between Emotions and Memory
Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect memory
According to LeDoux, the arousal of emotion can facilitate the memory of events that occur during the aroused state. However, they may not always be accurate. It was suggested by Brown and Kulik (1977). It is a kind of emotional memory which refers to vivid and detailed memories of highly emotional events that appear to be recorded in the brain as though with the help of a camera’s flash. Brown and Kulik found in their study that asked 80 people in a questionnaire to recall circumstances where they had learned of shocking events. They said they had very clear memories of where they were, what they did, and what they felt when they first learned about an important public event such as the assassination for example. Of the 80 participants, 73 of them said they also had a flashbulb memory of personal event such as a loss of a closer relative. Brown and Kulik suggested there may be a special neural mechanism which triggers an emotional arousal because the event is unexpected or extremely important. It is supported by modern neuroscience that emotional events are remembered than less emotional events, possibly because of the critical role of the amygdale. Neisser (1982) questioned the idea of flashbulb memories and suggested that maybe we remember the event better because we think about it and rehearse it over and over. He suggested that flashbulb memories may be governed by a storytelling schema and simply be a narrative convention that has a specific structure: a) place, b) activity, c) informant, d) affect. Neisser and Harsh (1992) investigated the memory of 106 students from an introduction to psychology class to determine accuracy in memory 2 hours after the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up in space killing 7 astronauts. He tested people’s memory again two years later. Although participants were very confident that their memories were correct, Neisser found that 40% of
According to LeDoux, the arousal of emotion can facilitate the memory of events that occur during the aroused state. However, they may not always be accurate. It was suggested by Brown and Kulik (1977). It is a kind of emotional memory which refers to vivid and detailed memories of highly emotional events that appear to be recorded in the brain as though with the help of a camera’s flash. Brown and Kulik found in their study that asked 80 people in a questionnaire to recall circumstances where they had learned of shocking events. They said they had very clear memories of where they were, what they did, and what they felt when they first learned about an important public event such as the assassination for example. Of the 80 participants, 73 of them said they also had a flashbulb memory of personal event such as a loss of a closer relative. Brown and Kulik suggested there may be a special neural mechanism which triggers an emotional arousal because the event is unexpected or extremely important. It is supported by modern neuroscience that emotional events are remembered than less emotional events, possibly because of the critical role of the amygdale. Neisser (1982) questioned the idea of flashbulb memories and suggested that maybe we remember the event better because we think about it and rehearse it over and over. He suggested that flashbulb memories may be governed by a storytelling schema and simply be a narrative convention that has a specific structure: a) place, b) activity, c) informant, d) affect. Neisser and Harsh (1992) investigated the memory of 106 students from an introduction to psychology class to determine accuracy in memory 2 hours after the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up in space killing 7 astronauts. He tested people’s memory again two years later. Although participants were very confident that their memories were correct, Neisser found that 40% of