Final answer:
Flashbulb memories are exceptionally vivid memories tied to significant emotional events, making them useful for psychological studies of memory and emotion. Two studies on flashbulb memories include the Pew Research Center's survey on 9/11 recollections and Hirst & Phelps' exploration of flashbulb memory details and persistence.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Flashbulb Memories
Flashbulb memories are highly vivid and detailed memories of significant events associated with strong emotional reactions. Unlike ordinary memories, flashbulb memories have a unique emotional component that makes them particularly useful for psychologists studying the impact of emotion on memory retention. Flashbulb memories are often related to surprising or historically significant events that provoke strong emotional responses.
A classic example of a flashbulb memory is the collective recollection of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. According to Brown and Kulik (1977), the original researchers on the concept, these memories are not limited to global events; they can also occur within personal or local contexts if the emotional impact is sufficiently strong.
Two studies involving flashbulb memories include the survey by Pew Research Center (2011) about the 9/11 attacks and the study by Hirst & Phelps (2016) exploring the durability and detailed nature of flashbulb memories. The arousal theory, proposed by Christianson (1992), points out that strong emotions can trigger a release of neurotransmitters and hormones that enhance memory formation, helping explain why flashbulb memories are more vivid and enduring than regular memories.