Recall of the Hillsborough disaster over time: Systematic biases of ‘flashbulb’ memories

Abstract

Abstract The class of memories, described within the literature as flashbulb memories, are susceptible to the same type of systematic biases as everyday memories. These systematic biases, which are consistent with schematic or reconstructive memory theories, were observed in subjects' recalls of the Hillsborough football disaster. Subjects ( n = 247) recalled their circumstances when they first heard about the event, gave ratings of various characteristics of the event and wrote down other events of which Hillsborough reminded them. Each of these measures exhibited systematic biases. It is argued that the most consistent explanation for the phenomena requires ordinary reconstructive memory processes and not a special mechanism as postulated within the original definition of flashbulb memories.