The impact of powerful events on the human memory was the subject of a recent “MTSU On the Record.”

Dr. Stephen Schmidt

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. Stephen Schmidt, a psychology professor at MTSU, aired in July on WMOT-FM (89.5 and www.wmot.org ). You can listen to their conversation here.

Schmidt is the author of “Extraordinary Memories for Exceptional Events,” a book that examines how strong emotions and the distinctiveness of events combine to make some occurrences more memorable than others.

The book also explains what Schmidt calls “flashbulb memories,” those events that compel us to remember where we were when we heard they’d occurred. Such events include the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger and the attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001.

To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to the “Audio Clips” archives here and here.

For more information about “MTSU On the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.