Neisser was an early exponent of one of a key conceptualizations of memory , the view , now widely accepted , that memory represents an active process of construction rather than a passive reproduction of the past . This notion arose from Neisser 's analysis of the Watergate testimony of John Dean , a former advisor to Richard Nixon . The study compares Dean 's memories , gleaned from his direct testimony , to recorded conversations in which Dean participated . Neisser found that Dean 's memories were largely incorrect when compared to the recorded conversations . For one thing , he found that Dean 's memories tended to be egocentric , selecting items that emphasized his role in ongoing events . More importantly , Dean combined into single " memories " a combination of events that actually occurred at different times . As Neisser states , " what seems to be a remembered episode actually represents a repeated series of events " . Neisser suggested that such memory errors are common , reflecting the nature of memory as a process of construction . The concept of flashbulb memories was first described by Brown and Kulik in their 1977 paper on memories of John F. Kennedy 's assassination . Thus , a very surprising striking and significant event that induces high emotional arousal may yield a vivid , accurate memory of the time , place and other circumstances ongoing at the time of learning of the event . Neisser sought to analyse this conception of memory by undertaking a study of individual 's memories of the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion . Immediately following the Challenger explosion in January 1986 , Neisser distributed a questionnaire to college freshmen asking them to write down key information as to where they were , who they were with , and what time it was , when the Challenger explosion occurred . Three years later , Neisser surveyed the now senior students using the same survey to examine the accuracy of their memory . Neisser found that there were notable errors in the student memories , despite the student 's confidence in their accuracy . Neisser 's findings challenged the idea that flashbulb memories are virtually without error
John F. Kennedy 's assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Ulric Neisser