A day that America will remember

Flashbulb memory, collective memory, and future thinking for the capitol riots

Bibliographic Data

ID21602201
AuthorsNawël Cheriet (0000-0002-7795-4676, GIGA-CRC In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium, corresponding author), Meymune Nur Topçu (0000-0001-8796-2170, New School, corresponding author), Meymune Topçu (New School for Social Research, University of New School, New-York, NY, USA), William Hirst (0000-0002-8506-6492, New School for Social Research, University of New School, New-York, NY, USA), Christine Bastin (0000-0002-4556-9490, GIGA-CRC In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium), Adrien Folville (0000-0001-7803-767X, GIGA-CRC In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium)
Year2023
Volume31
Issue5
Pages715-731
Publication date2023-05-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMemory (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0965-8211 • E-ISSN: 1464-0686
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09658211.2023.2190570
PMID36943843
OpenAlexW4328049791
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited72

This study explores the topics of flashbulb memory, collective identity, future thinking, and shared representations for a public event. We assessed the memories of the Capitol Riots, which happened in Washington DC, on 6 January 2021. Seventy Belgian and seventy-nine American citizens participated in an online study, in which they freely recalled the unfolding of Capitol Riots and answered questions regarding their memory. Inter-subjects similarity of recalled details was analysed using a schematic narrative template (i.e., the event, the causes and the consequences). Results revealed that representations of the event, and its causes were more similar among Belgians compared to Americans, whereas Americans' representations of the consequences showed more similarity than Belgians'. Also, as expected, Americans reported more flashbulb memories (FBMs) than Belgians. The analysis underlined the importance of rehearsal through media and communication in FBM formation. This research revealed a novel relation between FBM and future representations. Regardless of national identity, participants who formed an FBM were more likely to think that the event would be remembered in the future, that the government should memorialise the event, and that a similar attack on the Capitol could happen in the future compared to participants who did not form FBM

Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Psychology · Rhetoric and Communication Studies