A Report of Flashbulb Memory On Tsunami (Earthquake) 2004
Abstract
This paper gives a report of a study on flashbulb memories of Tsunami 2004. The paper begins by giving a background of flashbulb memories and sites various works of early researchers in the field of psychology. It the illustrate some of the goal that are to be achieved by the end of the study. Its also describes the approach use in studies the participants in the study and outs ethical principle observed in the cause of the study. It the goes further to outline and discuss the findings of the study and includes a sample questionnaire used in the study at the appendix section
Introduction/Background
Flashbulb memories are mainly dramatic and autobiographical memories that last for a much extended period of time and are associated with high increased levels of self-reliance in their correctness. Therefore, it has been habitual to learn these memories by means of unanticipated and dramatic public events and natural phenomena’s. There are chiefly two complementary perspectives on flashbulb memories that exist. Brown & Kulik (1977) claims that flashbulb memories are shaped by a special encoding mechanism that hold on to critical particulars of the present unusual and emotional conditions such as action, place, informant, and other individuals among others. Due to this effect, memory outline is nearly under no circumstance is prone to any crumble or re-enactment in a lengthy period of time. In disparity to this view, Neisser (1982) laid claims that flashbulb memories are just common memories that have been conserved by recurrent rehearsal, and may not be essentially veridical. For instance, Neisser and Harsh (1992) studied 44 people concerning their flashbulb memories of the Challenger blast a day after the episode and yet another time after two and a half years. The evaluation of participants’ memory attainments exposed an increased extent of inaccuracy in reports attained two and a half years from the initial interview.
Aims and Objectives
The goal of the current project is to attend to the imperative questions on flashbulb memories by carrying out a small-scale cross-sectional and longitudinal survey on people’s flashbulb memories of tsunami; an earthquake that took place in Indian Ocean in 2004, This unfortunate incident offers a exceptional opportunity to learn flashbulb memories. In stipulations of shock, emotional surprise and media coverage it exceed even the princess Diana’s death , which has been accounted to have to elicited the highest numbers of flashbulb memories.
The study also aims at analyzing the special encoding mechanism hypothesis by evaluating the maintenance of flashbulb memories to that of a control occasions, including of listening to media of a comparatively unsurprising and to a lesser amount of significant personal event .It aims at examining the impending role of numerous key variables that influence formation of flashbulb memories so as to distinguish the contrasting frameworks of flashbulb memories anticipated by Conway et al. (1994) and Finkenauer et al. (1998). The study also targets to review the forgetting rates of flashbulb memories by investigating the steadiness of flashbulb memory descriptions in a quite extended amount of time, compares the flashbulb memory descriptions of what happened relatively long time ago and the extend to which it can be remembered
METHOD
Flashbulb Memory Questionnaire
In the conducted study, a questionnaire on Flashbulb Memory was modelled and given to participants were supposed to record their responses in the spaces provided. The participants were to give a precise but detailed description in writing concerning their individual circumstances in which they first became aware of the news of the intended event that is the earthquake that occurred in Indian Ocean in 2004. The participants eventually continued giving answers to definite questions about the time for instance when did he or she hear about the news, their location the time the time of the event, the activity they doing, the source of the news that is how they found out, among others. Eventually, participants were to give ratings on a number of scales evaluating variables such as levels of surprise, emotion, intensity .Participants were also required to rate levels of self-confidence in the correctness of their memory explanation and answers to each of the exact questions.
In order to observe ethical issues in psychology, confidentiality has been given and guaranteed to participants. They are note required to fill their name on the questionnaire paper. However, they have been given numbers that act as identification code.
Findings
Participant response questions on time, place, activity, source among others were given score of not at all (0) to perfectly (above 5) depending on the reliability. In accordance with Neisser & Harsh (1992), the Weighted Attribute Score (WAS) was calculated for every participant. Consequently, an extra bonus point is given when n individual’s cumulative score for ‘time’ and informant was 3 or above which means that the cumulative score may fluctuate from 0 to 7. The mean Weighted Attribute Scores for participants was 5.11. This implies then that loss of memory of the tsunami that occurred in 2004.
Discussion
This outcome of the study convincingly illustrates that flashbulb memories are not totally resistant to forgetting as claimed by Brown and Kulik (1977). This finding is additionally sustained by the information regarding the steadiness of memory descriptions. The current project gave answers to some significant questions of flashbulb memory together with fascinating insights into an assortment of theoretical and methodological concerns of studying flashbulb memories. It has also produced a novel category of questions and hypotheses that should be pursued in the future. For instance age impacts on the consistency of control memories, the position of memory descriptions in the constancy of responses to particular questions, and variables concerned with construction of flashbulb memories.
There are dependable qualitative disparities between the flashbulb and control memories that come out for the memory descriptions. The main outstanding disparity between the two is that flashbulb memories are more specific while control events emerged in a less specific manner. Of all the variables, self-rated confidence in memory correctness was allied with Weighted Attribute scores. The findings were to some extent unexpected given that various studies have acquired constructive association among the accurateness and significant variables as shock, emotional effect and practice. The gathered a firm set of information from which only the most significant findings that unswervingly tackle the research objectives have been outlined in the novel proposal In adding together, in forms of phenomenological features, 7-year old memories of the Death of Princess Diana taken in 2004 were no dissimilar from memories of Indian Ocean Earthquake (Tsunami) sample obtained straight away after the incident (in September 2001). This reflects and extends the innitial findings Kvavilashvili et al., 2003).
Appendix
Questionnaire of Flashbulb Memory on Reaction to Tsunami
Date___/____/_____ Time_________
This survey consists of some questions concerning the tragic event of Tsunami that occurred in 2004 in Indian Ocean. The study questions on the paper should be completed in around twenty minutes. Individuals are required to participate in this exercise voluntarily. However, one has the right to discontinue his or her participation at any given moment she feels that the exercise is distressing
So as to ensure that the response has been kept in a confidential and anonymous manner Identification codes will be assigned to the response book. Records that link these codes to names will not be kept unless one is contacted in the future for follow-up purposes.
ID code __ __ __ __ __
Demographic Data:
Date of Birth __ __ _____
2. Sex Male • or Female • (tick one)
Occupation__________________
religion___________________ (optional)
Race/ethnicity_______________ (optional)?
9. Do you need in assistance filling out this survey?
11. In response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, did you seek the following?
Psychological Counseling? yes • no •
Financial Assistance? yes • no •
KEEP IN MIND THAT WHEN RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS, ONE A PAGE HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND PROCEEDED TO THE NEXT, PLEASE TO GO BACK TO REVIEW THE PREVIOUS ANSWERS
Do you agree to participate in this study? Check: yes • no •
1) Please explain how you first became aware of the Tsunami
(Please do not turn to the next page until you have completed your response to this
Question).
2) Where were you?
How well do you think you will remember this in a year?
(Not at all) 1————-2————-3————-4————-5 (perfectly)
3) What were you doing straight away before you became informed of the earthquake?
How well do you think you will remember this in a year?
(Not at all) 1————-2————-3————-4————-5 (perfectly)
4) How did you feel when you first became aware of the tsunami (earthquake)?
How well do you think you will remember this in a year?
(Not at all) 1————-2————-3————-4————-5 (perfectly
5) Who was the first person you communicated to about the earthquake, and how did he/she
Feel about it?
How well do you think you will remember this in a year?
(Not at all) 1————-2————-3————-4————-5 (perfectly)
6) What did you do right away after you became aware of the attack?
How well do you think you will remember this in a year?
(Not at all) 1————-2————-3————-4————-5 (perfectly)
7) Did you suffer any personal losses in the tsunami (earthquake)? If so, please specify.
8) Did the attack inconvenience your daily activities in some way? If so, please specify.
FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT CURRENT FEELINGSCONCERNING THE EARTHQUAKE PLEASE INDICATES YOUR RESPONSE BY MARKING THE APPROPRIATE POINT ON THE SCALES PROVIDED. NOTE THAT YOU MAY INDICATE PARTIAL NUMBERS (E.G. 3.5)
9) At this moment, how powerfully or extremely do you feel sad about the Tsunami (Earthquake)?
(Low) 1—————-2—————-3—————-4—————5 (high)
10) How powerfully or extremely did you feel shock about the Earthquake?
(Low) 1—————-2—————-3—————-4—————5 (high)
11) At this period, what other emotions might you be experiencing? Please indicate their intensity out of ten .__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12) How much did you have a discussion about the earthquake since the incidence?
(Very little) 1—————-2—————-3—————-4—————5 (very much)
FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU THINK
YOU’LL FEEL ABOUT THE EVENT ONE YEAR FROM NOW. PLEASE
RESPOND BY MARKING THE APPROPRIATE POINT ON THE SCALES PROVIDED. NOTE THAT YOU MAY INDICATE PARTIAL NUMBERS (E.G. 3.5)
13) A year from now, how powerfully or extremely will you feel sad about the earthquake?
(Low) 1—————-2—————-3—————-4—————5 (high)
14) A year from now, how powerfully or extremely will you feel shock about the earthquake?
(Low) 1—————-2—————-3—————-4—————5 (high)
15) A year from now, what other emotions might you are encountering? List and rate their expected severity:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
16) What is your biggest concern as a result of the tsunami (earthquake)?
17) How should the affected countries respond to the tsunami (earthquake)?
Reference
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Kvavilshvili, L., Mirani, J., Schlagman, S., & Kornbrot, D. E. (2003). Comparing flashbulb memories of
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