Kulkofsky et al. (2011)


• Aim: 


  To investigate the role of culture, specifically the individualism-collectivism dimension, on flashbulb memory (FBM) formation across different countries.
• Research Method: 


  Cross-cultural survey study using questionnaires and memory recall tasks. Participants: 274 middle-class adults from five countries (China, Germany, Turkey, UK, USA)
• Procedure:


  1. Task 1: 5-minute free recall of public events from their lifetime (at least one year old)
  2. Task 2: Memory questionnaire based on recalled events, including:

  • Five questions about event details (based on Brown & Kulik, 1977)
  • Questions about personal and national importance, surprise, and rehearsal

  1. Questionnaires translated and back-translated into relevant languages
• Results:

  1. In collectivistic cultures (e.g., China), personal importance and emotional intensity were less predictive of FBM formation
  2. Individualistic cultures showed stronger links between personal involvement, emotional experiences, and FBM formation
  3. National importance was equally linked to FBM formation across all cultures
  4. Less rehearsal of triggering events in collectivistic cultures
• Conclusion: 

  Cultural dimensions, particularly individualism-collectivism, influence FBM formation. Collectivistic cultures de-emphasize individual experiences, leading to less rehearsal and lower chances of FBM formation for personal events. However, nationally important events are equally likely to form FBMs across cultures.
• Strengths:

  1. Cross-cultural design allowing for comparison across different cultural contexts
  2. Use of native speakers for test administration, reducing interviewer effects
  3. Questionnaires provided in participants' native languages, enhancing recall accuracy
  4. Back-translation technique used to ensure translation validity
  5. Inclusion of both individualistic and collectivistic cultures
• Limitations:

  1. Potential ecological fallacy - individual participants may not represent their culture's predominant dimensions
  2. Etic approach may miss culture-specific nuances in FBM formation
  3. Self-report method cannot verify the actual existence of reported memories
  4. Sample limited to middle-class adults, potentially limiting generalizability
  5. Possible cultural differences in self-reporting styles not accounted for
• This study highlights the complex interplay between cultural values and individual cognitive processes in memory formation