Eidetic Memory (Photographic Memory)
Yes… this is the stuff of dreams… If you could remember
things with little or no effort, can you imagine the potential?
Well there is such a thing and it is known as Eidetic memory,
although extremely rare. It is most commonly seen in children and
adolescents. These abilities are less
commonly seen in adults
Eidetic Memory seems to be unrelated to cognitive, emotional
or neurological abilities as such.
It is thought that
eidetic memory is stored in the medial portion of the temporal lobe and the
hippocampus as well as the mammillary bodies of the limbic lobe (Von Papez
Circuit). Images persist undistorted in the memory for days or even years and
can be recollected with vivid accuracy. The active neuro-chemical substance in
the mammillary bodies is oxytocin, which has a variety of other physiological
effects.
Eidetic memory is one of many types of memory and is often
confused with mnemonic memory, which differs in that it uses mental association
devices to create recollection of the object in question, such as names,
rhymes, lists, etc . A simple example of a mnemonic device is an acronym. Eidetic memory acts more like an emblem of the
image seen, thus the term “photographic”.
Due to the neuroplasticity of the brain, we now know that
photographic memory can be induced, developed or improved in the normal brain
through exercises of the mind. Repetition
and practice is key to this process.
Courtesy of Wikipedia
Here is an example of Eidetic Memory in a young man who was diagnosed with autism and is able to not only recall images "photographically", but also draw them beautifully hours later.
His name is Stephen Wiltshire
Below are a few links to test your photographic memory and to help develop it with practice
Here is an example of Eidetic Memory in a young man who was diagnosed with autism and is able to not only recall images "photographically", but also draw them beautifully hours later.
His name is Stephen Wiltshire
Below are a few links to test your photographic memory and to help develop it with practice
1. Wikipedia Wikimedia Foundation, 25 May 2014. Web. 27 May
2014.
3. Stromeyer, C. F., Psotka, J. (1970). "The detailed
texture of eidetic images". Nature 225 (5230): 346–349. doi:10.1038/225346a0. PMID 5411116.
