Gender Differences in Flashbulb Memories Elicited by the Clarence Thomas Hearings

Abstract

American students and other adults aged 19-75 completed a questionnaire about flashbulb memories and recollections of autobiographical events elicited by the Senate hearings for confirmation of Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court Justice. The respondents were less likely to recall vivid image memories than were respondents in earlier studies about memories of the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. Women were significantly more likely than men to report vivid image memories and recall of autobiographical events elicited by the hearings, but they did not differ significantly from men in the ratings of these memories. Women were also significantly more likely than men to report specific memories of having been victims of sexual harassment and abuse. Women recalled reconsidering incidents in which they might have been victims of sexual harassment more often than men did. Exposure to media coverage did not differ by gender, although the amount of coverage paid attention to did correlate with the number of personal memories elicited.

Flashbulb memories are special after all; in phenomenology, not accuracy

“…Other evidence suggests that 17-25 years is a critical age for the formation of a political identity (Mannheim, 1928 as cited by Schuman & Rieger, 1992, p. 324) which may explain anecdotal references to 11th September as this generation's Pearl Harbor and underscores the issue of generational and national connectedness. Similar examples can be seen when a political assassination attempt triggers John F. Kennedy assassination memories for Americans (Pillemer, 1984), when Hillsborogh football stadium disasters cue other football disaster memories (Wright, 1993), or even when the Clarence Thomas hearings cue memories of personal sexual harassment experiences (Morse, Woodward, & Zweigenhaft, 1993).…”

Flashbulb memories in social groups: A comparative test–retest study of the memory of French President Mitterrand's death in a French and a Belgian group

“…Yet, as Pillemer suggested (1984), the findings on flashbulb memories need to be generalised by examining a variety of everyday memories. Some authors have already extended the research to expected and predictable events, such as the death of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, the American attack on Iraq during the Gulf War, or the resignation of the Italian judge Antonio Di Pietro (Bellelli, 1999;Morse, Woodward, & Zweigenhaft, 1993;Neisser, 1982;Ruiz-Vargas, 1993;Weaver, 1993). The present study represents a new attempt to generalise the findings on flashbulb memory for unexpected events to memory for expected events.…”

Autobiographical and event memories for surprising and unsurprising events

“…Since the very beginning of FBM studies, surprise was commonly considered essential for FBMs. However, as recently pointed out by Curci (2006), happenings that, though unsurprising, are vividly and long-lastingly memorised do exist (see Bellelli, 1999;Curci et al, 2001;Morse, Woodward, & Zweigenhaft, 1993;RuizVargas, 1993;Weaver, 1993). Yet, most of previous studies scarcely focused on expected events.…”