While studying for my econ test this week I was forced to remember countess formulas and concepts. After hours of looking at my study guide i couldn’t help but think how great it would be if i had a photographic memory. Imagine being able to look and the sheet for seconds maybe minutes and having it all there in your mind, it’s as if you were cheating on the test from having the guide right in front of you. Is this something i could teach myself or is it something you’re born with, or is it even real to begin with? I have only heard of photographic memories in books and movies never have I met someone with that great capability.
Mental health issues like anxiety or depression can affect student’s schoolwork, and can be identified with screenings by the MSU Counseling Center. The Center will be hosting free screening at different locations around campus on Thursday. Lauren Wood/The State News
Photographic memory, scientifically called eidetic imagery is very real. While few people possess it, it is possible to take a “picture” in your mind. Of all the cases where people have shown signs of having eidetic imagery they are mostly children. For unknown reasons children can have photographic memory rather than adults. In a study done where they showed someone a picture for a few seconds and removed it, they claim to still see the picture. There is many factors about eidetic imagery that are unknown, but it is believed to have something to do with the way your brain processes images. Nearly 2 to 10 percent of children have shown signs of eidetic imagery making it very uncommon. Eidetic imagery is said to fade with age but some adults claim they still possess it. Even with a photographic memory these people still do not completely memorize every piece of information they are given. It is reported that these people replace some pieces of the picture they saw with other parts of the picture, or even entirely different information. To some extent the you can teach yourself to remember things in a photographic manner, but not entirely gain the skill. Gauging if someone has eidetic memory can be difficult because there is not obvious and physical ways to tell besides the picture test. The most effective way to test it by picture study, I believe they will eventually be able to look into your brain and tell if you have the ability, but as of now all we can do is wait.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-there-such-a-thing-as/
Ever since reading the Cam Jansen books as a kid I always thought about this topic. To me it would be a blessing and a curse. A blessing for obvious reasons like you’d be able to memorize test information with ease. However there would be negatives that come along with this because somethings are just better off forgotten. Spark Notes does a very job at going over the most common pros and cons . One thing I wonder is if the people who posses eidetic imaginary is how they fair in school. Are they all able to memorize everything with ease and succeed in their class. Or do some struggle due to being overloaded with information? That’s a study I would be very interested in looking at.
There are some people who don’t remember everything that they see, but they do remember every face they’ve seen. Here is a news story about “face-blindness” (the opposite, you can not remember a person’s face when you first see them) but it delves into this condition later: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-blindness-when-everyone-is-a-stranger-05-08-2012/
This is a very interesting topic and one that I strongly relate to because my aunt has photographic memory. She really memorize almost everything. To further on your topic I figured I would go more in depth with someone who herself has a photographic memory and asked her to explain it. She basically said that she can look at a textbook and memorize it. She said that she literally takes a picture of it and keeps it in her brain. She is able to look at it and memorize it. It was very helpful for her in high school and college because she was able to study information and retain it quickly. Although many people don’t believe her when she says she has it, she said she knows she does. I even tested her with some things. I told her to memorize the sign I’m holding up which had 20 words. In about one minute she was able to memorize the whole thing. Photographic memory is amazing.
I agree that there is no doubt it would be awesome to have a photographic memory. I was a little confused when you are questioning if it is possible because of the large number of people that claim to have it. It is interesting you have heard it as a debate and I never have. I would love to do more research on the topic and understand why some peoples brains understand and can literally take a mental picture while others will forget in less than a minute.
It has been established for a long time that photographic memory is an actual thing. Though we all wish to have a photographic memory I think it’d be rough. Imagine, you can never forget the embarrassing moment when you asked a girl out in front of her friends and they laughed. You’d never forget the sad or the embarrassing. Here is a link to a lot of acedotes of people with photographic memory. I wonder if they could conduct an observational study looking a the quality of life of people living with photographic memories.
I’m sorry but when I read the title I was concerned. It has been established for a long time that photographic memory is an actual thing. Though we all wish to have a photographic memory I think it’d be rough. Imagine, you can never forget the embarrassing moment when you asked a girl out in front of her friends and they laughed. Or the time you farted (loudly) in class and everyone heard. You’d never forget the sad or the embarrassing. Here is a link to a lot of acedotes of people with photographic memory. I wonder if they could conduct an observational study looking a the quality of life of people living with photographic memories.
It makes me feel better to know I’m not the only one who thinks about having a photographic memory! I find it very interesting that it is more common in children. Does this mean photographic memories do not exist in adults? Why is that? Is it simply because as the brain develops it decides memorizing in extreme detail is not necessary? After thinking about it, maybe having a really good memory would not be so great. I don’t think i want to remember every bad test I got back or every mean text I have gotten in the past…
Here’s a really interesting video on the topic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YYSl8iXuA0
I have been studying for Econ as well, and it would be incredible to have photographic memory. Unfortunately, it is not something we can teach ourselves, we can try hard but I feel as if you have to be born with that ability. It would be interesting to do a study with somebody has very good photographic memory, as opposed to a person with a regular ability of memorization. This help see how different two types of people are. I also think eventually there will be some way to see who has photographic memory as opposed to somebody with very good memory, there is a huge difference. Here is an entertaining article about people who claim to have photographic memory: Article
I was also studying for my econ test this week and the same thought came through my mind. I thought of how amazing it would be if I could just remember the whole study guide like it was right there in front of me. I hope that one day we will all be able to have this power so I can pass all of my tests with ease.
I believe many of us wish we could have photographic memories, it would be very helpful for school work. I would be interested to read more into how we can test if a person does in fact have a photographic memory. Are there certain levels of memory that people can be categorized in? For example, how can science differentiate someone who has a very good memory to someone with a photographic memory?