Evan's Flashbulb Memory in "The Butterfly Effect"

Flashbulb memory is when one experiences a memory that deals with a quick flash of a memory. Although the memory occurs quickly, it still expresses significantly vivid details of the event. A flashbulb memory is triggered by a surprising or consequential event. In the movie, The Butterfly Effect, Evan experiences flashbulb memories when he re-reads his journal. He is able to feel the emotions that occurred within that memory and is able to noticed things that he missed when the event actually took place.

Automatic processing is when one is able to perform tasks without putting much thought to what he/she is doing. The task is often done out of habit due to repetition. Effortful processing is when one uses his/her conscious effort in order to perform a tasks. Due to Evan’s “blackout” condition, he lacks the automatic processing ability. Usually one is able to quickly think back to a past memory. In addition, Evan also lacks the effortful processing ability because his blackouts hinder his ability to thoroughly remember past events from his childhood. In order to visit a memory, Evan uses effort processing by rereading his journals.

The self reference effect is when one encodes information differently depending on that person’s personal experience and viewpoints with that information. In the film, Evan’s father was known for suffering from a mental illness that was misunderstood by others. However, as Evan aged he was able to better understand his father’s illness due to the fact that he had experience with what his father went through. This aid in his understanding of his own blackout episodes.

In the film review by Roger Ebert, the film is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars. I partially agree with Ebert in the fact that the changes made by Evan only affected those who were present in his life and not the entire world in a greater sense. However, focusing the changes made to the world entirely would take away from the point of the film and how the journal ultimately aided in Evan’s memory recovery. I disagree with the fact that one could feel that he/she was being jerked around throughout the film I feel like at this point in the film - where Evan is constantly traveling into his memories - is significant. This allows the audience to experience what is it like to be in Evan’s mind and how the constant alterations he makes to his memories are negatively impacting him. Overall, I feel like the film at least deserves 4 out of 5 stars because it adequately represents the chaos that comes with Evan’s experience and that every outcome is not a positive one.

I would definitely recommend this film as one worth watching. While watching this film one could learn several valuable lessons about life. For one, the overall plot of the film shows that as humans we make mistakes, however those mistakes aid in molding us as who we are and who we will become. In addition, this film illustrates how the outcome of one’s life is greatly affected by the environment in which he/she is raised. This film is also educational in the psychological sense and teaching one about flashbulb memory and other aspects that are important to the functions of the brain and memory overall.

A major aspect of the memory process that I did not pick up in class is implicit and explicit memory. Implicit memory is a type of memory where one is able to remember an event with the help of previous experiences. Explicit memory is conscious recollection of past memories. In the film Evan experiences frequent implicit memories due to his blackout. He would remember certain parts of a past event which was prompted by his past experiences, however he would be unable to specifically recall that past event.