This study was based on the recollections of people who experienced the Marmara earthquake and those who had no direct experience with it but only heard it on the news. Four models of flashbulb memory (the photographic model, the comprehensive model, the emotional-integrative model and the importance-driven emotional reactions model) were compared in the study. Findings indicated that the importance-driven emotional reactions model provided a better fit to the data than the others for victim and comparison groups. In order to verify the accuracy and consistency of flashbulb memories, a small sub-sample of participants from both groups was tested twice after the first anniversary of the quake. The results indicated that the Marmara earthquake was accurately recalled and flashbulb memories about the event are consistent after a delay of one year.

We tested Turkish participants' (n ¼ 483) autobiographical and event memory for the events of September 11, 2001 3 days, 6 months, and 1 year after the event. The amount of autobiographical detail participants reported was very high after one year. The accuracy of event memory was moderate at 3 days, and declined sharply by 6 months. The consistency of autobiographical memory was higher than that of event memory at all time lags; however, there was no interaction between time lag and memory type. The data also provided partial support for Pezdek's (2003) conceptualization that the degree of involvement has different effects on event and autobiographical memory.

Summary:The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of sensation seeking and attention in traffic violations and errors. Participants were 716 volunteer male drivers from Ankara, Turkey. Drivers were asked to respond to computerized measures of monotonous and selective attention tests, and also to complete the Driver Behavior Questionnaire, Driving Skills Inventory, and Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking. We first categorized participants into four groups according to their correct responses of monotonous and selective attention tests by using median-split: Group 1 = low scores on both monotonous and selective attention tests, Group 2 = high scores on both monotonous and selective attention tests, Group 3 = low on monotonous attention and high on selective attention, and Group 4 = high on monotonous attention and low on selective attention. Participants were also classified into two groups regarding their total sensation seeking scores as low and high sensation seekers. A 4 (attention groups) X 2 (sensation seeking groups) MANOVA was conducted on traffic violations and errors as dependent variables. MANOVA analysis indicated that high sensation seekers with high monotonous and selective attention are more likely to have a higher number of traffic violations and errors than other groups. Since these drivers also reported lower levels of safety skills than other groups, it could be interpreted as an indication of drivers' overconfidence in their skills and underestimation of the hazards in traffic. Such drivers were more likely to be risk takers in traffic situations.

Summary:The purpose of this study is to predict self-reported driving and safety skills, traffic violations, and errors by using the measures of cognitive and psychomotor abilities. Male drivers (N = 716, mean age = 36.59) were administered the computerized measures of monotonous and selective attention, visual pursuit, eye-hand coordination, reaction time, and peripheral perception. They also responded to the measures of driving skills and behaviors. Examination of the correlations indicated that the indices of visual pursuit, coordination, peripheral perception, and reaction time significantly correlated with driving skills and aberrant behaviors. The results of the sequential regression analyses controlling for age, level of education, and annual km revealed that selective attention negatively and significantly predicted both types of skills and positively predicted violations and errors. Peripheral perception, visual pursuit, and reaction time were the significant predictors of driving skills and errors in the expected direction. Cognitive and psychomotor abilities accounted for 11% to 17% of the variances in the self-reported driving variables. Results suggested that although the magnitude of the associations was relatively weak, psychomotor and cognitive/perceptual abilities are associated with self-reported driving performance and behaviors for young and middle-aged drivers. These findings indicated that certain measures of cognitive and psychomotor abilities, such as peripheral perception and selective attention, have implications for driver assessment systems and should be carefully examined in future research.

One of the problematic issues in childhood temporary memory research seems to be the elusiveness of the factors affecting working memory (WM) and short-term memory (STM)