Editing Flashbulb memory (section)

===Importance of an event===

Brown and Kulik (1977) emphasized that importance is a critical variable in flashbulb memory formation.  In a study conducted by Brown and Kulik, news events were chosen so that some of them would be important to some of their subjects, but not to others.  They found that when an event was important to one group, it was associated with a comparatively high incidence of flashbulb memories.  The same event, when judged lower on importance by another group, was found to be associated with a lower incidence of flashbulb memory.<ref name = "Brown"/> The retelling or rehearsal of personally important events also increases the accuracy of flashbulb memories.  Personally important events tend to be rehearsed more often than non-significant events.  A study conducted on flashbulb memories of the [[Loma Prieta earthquake]] found that people who discussed and compared their personal stories with others repeatedly had better recall of the event compared to Atlanta subjects who had little reason to talk about how they had heard the news.  Therefore, the rehearsal of personally important events can be important in developing accurate flashbulb memories.<ref name = "Neisser U"/> There has been other evidence that shows that personal importance of an event is a strong predictor of flashbulb memories.  A study done on the flashbulb memory of the resignation of the British prime minister, [[Margaret Thatcher]], found that the majority of UK subjects had flashbulb memories nearly one year after her resignation.  Their memory reports were characterized by spontaneous, accurate, and full recall of event details.  In contrast, a low number of non-UK subjects had flashbulb memories one year after her resignation.  Memory reports in this group were characterized by forgetting and reconstructive errors.  The flashbulb memories for Margaret Thatcher's resignation were, therefore, primarily associated with the level of importance attached to the event.

When Princess Diana died, it was an unexpected and surprising event. It affected people across the globe. When looking at accuracy, the importance of the event can be related to how accurate an individual's flashbulb memory is. Reports found that among British participants, no forgetting occurred over four years since the event. Events that are highly surprising and are rated as highly important to an individual may be preserved in the memory for a longer period of time, and have the qualities of recent events compared to those not as affected. If an event has a strong impact on an individual these memories are found to be kept much longer.<ref>{{Cite journal 
| last1 = Kvavilashvili | first1 = Lia 
| last2 = Mirani | first2 = Jennifer 
| last3 = Schlagman | first3 = Simone
| last4 = Kornbrot | first4 = Diana E. 
| title = Comparing flashbulb memories of September 11 and the death of Princess Diana: Effects of time delays and nationality 
| doi = 10.1002/acp.983 
| journal = Applied Cognitive Psychology 
| volume = 17 
| issue = 9 <!-- Special Issue: Memory and Cognition for the Events of September 11, 2001 -->
| pages = 1017–1031
|date=November–December 2003
}}</ref>