Eidetic Memory - A Mental Abnormality?
Most people have heard about individuals who can remember long lists of numbers, equations and pages of text while observing them for a only few minutes. These individuals are said to have photographic memories or eidetic memory. In the strictest sense, eidetic memory means having the capability of remembering detailed information about a complex image with great accuracy. These individuals are able to recall mental images in their minds as if they were looking at a photograph. This type of memory is highly controversial and if it exists is extremely rare in the population. Most of us are visual in our learning and in fact it is our strongest sense as humans however, this is not eidetic memory. On this phenomenon there has been studies for over a hundred years making use of many experimental models to test if it really exists. Individuals who have exceptional memories have been tested only to find that they do not have photographic memories. Most of the studies h...