Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

fl ashbulb memories
Memories 
centered on a specifi c, important, or 
surprising event that are so vivid it is 
as if they represented a snapshot of the 
event.
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226 Chapter 
7 
Memory
Similarly, our motivation to remember material when we are exposed to it ini-
tially affects how well we can later recall it. If we know we are going to need to 
recall material later, we are going to be more attentive to it. In contrast, if we don’t 
expect to need to recall material later, then we are less likely to remember it (Naveh-
Benjamin et al., 2000; Kassam et al., 2009).
Constructive Processes in 
Memory: Rebuilding the Past
As we have seen, although it is clear that we can have detailed recollections of sig-
nifi cant and distinctive events, it is diffi cult to gauge the accuracy of such memories. 
In fact, it is apparent that our memories refl ect, at least in part,
 constructive processes 
,
processes in which memories are infl uenced by the meaning we give to events. When 
we retrieve information, then, the memory that is produced is affected not just by 
the direct prior experience we have had with the stimulus, but also by our guesses 
and inferences about its meaning.
The notion that memory is based on constructive processes was fi rst put forward 
by Frederic Bartlett, a British psychologist. He suggested that people tend to remem-
ber information in terms of
 schemas, 
organized bodies of information stored in 
constructive processes
Processes in 
which memories are infl uenced by 
the meaning we give to events.
schemas
Organized bodies of 
information stored in memory that 
bias the way new information is 
interpreted, stored, and recalled.
FIGURE 3 
These are the most common fl ashbulb memory events, based on a survey of 
college students. What are some of your fl ashbulb memories? 
(Source: From David C. Rubin, 
“The Subtle Deceiver: Recalling Our Past,” 
Psychology Today
, September 1985, pp. 39–46. Reprinted 
with permission from 
Psychology Today
magazine. (Copyright © 1985 Sussex Publishers, LLC.))
20
10
0
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Percentage of sample reporting that event resulted
in “flashbulb memories”
Being in or witnessing
a car accident
Night of high school
graduation
Met a roommate 
for the first time
Night of your senior
prom
An early romantic
experience
Public speaking
Receipt of college
admissions letter
First date–when you
met him or her
First airplane flight
Moment you opened
your SAT scores
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