I have always been jealous of those with photographic memories because I am sure studying and memorization is so easy for them. Now, instead of being jealous, I choose to question if photographic memory truly exists. There is a common idea that some people have the ability to remember detailed images perfectly in their minds. But how do some people remember more detail than others? Is it possible to remember an image perfectly? If so, how much detail are those with this ability able to remember? As someone without so-called “photographic memory”, it is hard to imagine being able to recall an image with perfect clarity.

One possible answer to these questions is discussed an an article of the Scientific American. This article claims that “Photographic memory” is basically the common name for “eidetic imagery”. People with this ability can be easily distinguished using something called the “Picture Elicitation Method”. The person is shown a picture on an easel and when the easel is removed, they can recall the image and even scan the picture in their minds for certain details. The person continues to look at the easel and feels as though they can still see the image This causes them to speak in the present tense which is another factor that points toward eidetic imagery. This is different from how the common brain forms an image. According to the Association for Psychological Science, humans “pinpoint certain visual information for more scrupulous analysis but discard other visual information”. The fact that the mind discards some information instead of retaining all details immediately distinguishes it from Eidetic Imagery, or “photographic memory”. With Eidetic Imagery, people can see an entire city and recreate the entire image from memory like the man in this photo. 

However, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy considers two possible answers. Mental imagery could be another explanation behind “photographic memory”. Mental Imagery is a more perceptual experience. This experience can occur without an external trigger that causes a representation in one’s mind that is more like visualizing or imagining the sensation or image. An image produced from Mental Imagery can be thought of as a “copy” or “echo” of the actual experience. The second possibility Stanford considers correlates with Scientific American’s theory. Eidetic Imagery is less widely understood by the common population. Contrary to Mental Imagery, images produced by Eidetic Imagery are “externally projected”, meaning they are caused by something outside of the mind. This factor makes these images closer to the image or experience in reality. To put it simply- Mental Imagery occurs mostly inside the brain and creates something more like a memory of what a person saw. Eidetic Imagery takes an outside image and recreates it more exactly in a person’s head. After examining the two types of Imagery, Stanford does not say for sure whether photographic memory exists. They do, however, agree with Scientific American that they believe Eidetic Imagery is closest to the phenomenon. 

Although I did not find an article claiming that “Eidetic Imagery is the same as photographic memory”, I feel that there is enough support to claim they are extremely similar. According to the theory of Eidetic Imagery, some brains process external images differently than others. Some brains can create images with more detail, images that are more like photographs. This sounds like a photographic memory to me.