Discuss flashbulb memories, including examples of these memories, when and how they are formed, why they are so vivid and lasting, why people place so much confidence in these memories, even when they are wrong, and how some of these memories can emotionally handicap people

What will be an ideal response?

Answer will include that a flashbulb memory is an especially vivid image that seems to be frozen in memory at times of emotionally significant personal or public events. Depending on a person's age, he or she may have a "flashbulb" memory for the assassinations of John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr., the space shuttle disasters, the death of Princess Diana, 9-11 terrorist attack, or Hurricane Katrina. Although flashbulb memories are often related to public tragedies, memories of both positive and negative personal events can have "flashbulb" clarity, such as one's first date, the birth of one's children, a car accident, etc. Flashbulb memories tend to form at times of intense emotion. Powerfully exciting or stressful experiences activate the limbic system, a part of the brain that processes emotions. Heightened activity in the limbic system, in turn, appears to intensify memory consolidation. It has become clear, however, that flashbulb memories are not always accurate. More than anything else, what sets flashbulb memories apart is that people tend to place great confidence in them, even when they are wrong. Perhaps that's because people review emotionally charged events over and over and tell others about them. Also, public events such as wars, earthquakes, and elections reappear many times in the news, which highlights them in memory. Over time, flashbulb memories tend to crystallize into consistent, if not entirely accurate, landmarks in people's lives. Some memories go beyond flashbulb clarity and become so intense that they may haunt a person for years. Extremely traumatic experiences, such as military combat or maltreatment as a child, can produce so much limbic system activation that the resulting memories and "flashbacks" leave a person emotionally handicapped and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.