How did you first learn of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001? Was it your mother’s panicked phone call? Your roommate shaking you awake with the news? The anxious chatter on your commuter train? No matter how you answer, our research suggests you may have around 40% of the details wrong.
The questions are not about the facts of the event itself, but rather the circumstance of learning about the event – what psychologists call flashbulb memories. People don’t remember such personal details for most news events, but for a select few, they do. For instance, Americans of a certain age also have flashbulb memories of hearing about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
