Three groups of informants-two in California, one in Atlanta-recalled
their experiences of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake shortly after the
event and again 1 1/2 years later. The Californians' recalls of their
own earthquake experiences were virtually perfect. Even their recalls
of hearing the news of an earthquake-related event were very good: mu
ch higher than Atlantan recalls of hearing about the quake itself. Atl
antans who had relatives in the affected area remembered significantly
more than those who did not. These data show that personal involvemen
t in the quake led to greatly improved recall, but do not show why. Ma
ny Californian informants reported low levels of stress/arousal during
the event; arousal ratings were not significantly correlated with rec
all. The authors suggest that repeated narrative rehearsals may have p
layed an important role.