Abstract: What Creates the Flash in Flashbulb Memories? Hedy Amiri, Lisa C. Elo, & Chad J. Marsolek University of Minnesota The greater the affective arousal elicited by a stimulus, the greater the subsequent memory for its perceptual details. We tested potential explanations for this aspect of "flashbulb memories," including one stemming from neuroanatomical findings. We conducted an old/new recognition memory experiment using photographs from the International Affective Picture System. These were visual scenes that varied in affective valence (negative versus positive) and affective arousal (low versus high). We tested the level of detail remembered by manipulating the left-right orientation of the scene at test, relative to the picture's orientation during encoding. Results indicate that memory enhancements for highly arousing information can be diminished in predictable ways, helping to constrain theories of the effects of emotion on scene recognition and memory.