Psychology of remembering 9/11

By: Paige Quiggins Email

Updated: Wed 9:16 AM, Sep 12, 2012

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WYMT) - Many out there said they can remember everything they felt about that Tuesday afternoon eleven years ago on Sept. 11.

Though it happened in the morning, some said they did not hear about it until the afternoon.

One psychology professor at Big Sandy Community and Technical College said there are parts of your brain that log conversational memory, like what you did yesterday which you may not be able to remember.

He said 9/11 usually falls into shared moments in our "autobiographical memory," which we likely will never forget.

"It's usually where you were that has a lot to do with it," said Dr. Bill Loftus, Psychology Professor at BSCTC.
"If you were there 9/11, when Kennedy was shot, Pearl Harbor, all those things there is such a strong emotional connection and it is not just the emotional connection it is the connection of the other people that are around you at the time."

Loftus said the shared connection between people with those emotions is another thing that causes people to remember the small details.

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