Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book compares two measurement approaches for the assessment of flashbulb memories (FBMs): dimensional models and categorical. It discusses the criteria for a memory to be considered as an FBM. The book also discusses the strengths and limitations of the single-case approach, which is still the most popular strategy in FBM investigation, although it has been rarely employed in cognitive psychology. It also emphasizes the use of statistical tools in order to test different models for the formation of FBMs. The book also discusses how memory for traumatic national events relates to clinical disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Korsakoff syndrome, amnesia, temporal lobe epilepsy, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It also examines the overlaps and differences in the determinants of FBMs and event-memory considered at a collective level, which they equate with collective memories (CMs).