People who are old enough most likely remember September 11, 2001, the fateful day that over two thousand people died in the terrorist attacks on New York City's World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington, and in the flight that aborted in Pennsylvania. Describe the memory effect that explains why people are likely to remember this day.

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The Answer is The answer should indicate that for most Americans, the mere mention of 9/11 triggers flashbulb memories. People remember when they first learned of the attacks, where they were, what they did for the rest of the day (probably watching TV news), etc. Enhanced recall of flashbulb memories is partially attributed to their high emotional content. We tend to remember emotional content better than information without emotional content. This is, in part, the result of the activity of the amygdala. There is also a cognitive behavioral component to flashbulb memories. Because they are of emotional content, they tend to be of some importance to our life. Therefore, they tend to be discussed. The events of 9/11 were the lead stories on the news for months after the attacks. Therefore, there was much opportunity to encode (elaborative and visual imagery), consolidate, and reconsolidate these events as they were discussed.

People Who Are Old Enough Most Likely Remember September 11