Like Bailey, I was interested in Schacter’s “flashbulb memories” and how they tied in with some of the ideas in Pillemer’s chapters. Although it seems obvious, Pillemer is right (in my opinion) when he says that the stronger the emotions, the more vivid the memory. Even if the emotions were not your own, external displays of emotion have an affect on us, whether we realize it or not. This is probably true for someone like Bailey, who was not directly affected by the death of Princess Diana, but in watching others become affected, or have an emotional reaction, was actually affected. I remember where I was when I found out about Princess Diana as well. But more then that, I remember the news footage of people mourning and all of the memorials shown. I remember a friend’s memory of driving on the same road where Princess Diana’s car crash took place. I remember her memory because it was so vivid and because it was personal.
Pillemer is also right when he talks about personal memories having a greater impact as well simply because they are personal and true. It makes me wonder about dreams as well. Pillemer says that fabricated stories generally do not have a strong impact. I wonder if, because we know our dreams aren’t real, we lose some of the details and the vividness of them?
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When you mention dreams, I wonder if dreams can easily merge into memories. Can dreams, like second hand experiences affect our
perception of an event? Is it still considered a false memory if it is created by the merging of truth with vivid dreams? If it is a false memory, how can we separate the dream from the actual event?
Is it is considered a false memory constructed by your own mind during sleep, how is it separated from an emotional experience resulting from exposure to traumatizing events on television? (Obviously, your subconscious might encode detail from television or other stories, but I wonder if there is a separation, and if not, if a separation is needed.) You are not actively experiencing or being emotionally affected by these memories. At worst, you might not remember if the event actually did happen.
I think it is probably easier to identify a false memory (such as a strong emotional response connected to other people reactions to Princess Diana's death) from our own experiences than separating what we remember and our dreams.
This is, of course, assuming that the subject in question does experience and remember vivid dreams.
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