ABSTRACT
When Brown and Kulik (1977) first introduced the concept of “flashbulb memory” it resonated with commonsense views. We all have the subjective sense that we have vivid and accurate memories for highly consequential events in our lives. Whether these events are in the public media, such as political assassinations, celebrity deaths or national catastrophes, or more personal experiences, such as the death of a loved one, a tragic accident or an act of interpersonal violence, the sense is that these kinds of memories are clear and detailed almost as if they were burned into the brain. Indeed, William James (1890) called memories of traumatic events “cerebral scars”.
