Overall, it was those flashbulb memories that participants said were most significant to them (usually their memories of receiving private news), that were associated with more functions, such as for self-identity and bonding with other people. In contrast, the self-reported detail of memories was not associated with their having more function.
“This suggests,” the researchers said, “that the functions of flashbulb memories are less about the shared societal reality and more about highly individual events shaping one’s private life.” This is an important finding for memory researchers because most studies on flashbulb memory have tended to focus on news of public events, such as the 9/11 attacks.
“Future research on the functions of flashbulb memories needs to focus more on individual, private memories,” the researchers said. A limitation of their study, which they acknowledged, is that they uncovered people’s beliefs about the function of flashbulb memories – it’s possible the actual functions of these memories is different.
