People who have eidetic memory continue to see the picture as if it is still in place, and can describe different sections of it in detail, going so far as to use present tense in their description. The picture is then removed, though the easel it had been resting on remains and the individual is asked what they see when they look at it. This test is known as the Picture Elicitation Method, and involves placing an unfamiliar image in front of the subject and providing them with a limited period of time (usually 30 seconds) to look at it. Individuals who are identified as having eidetic memory are referred to as “eidetikers.”( Stanford University )Ī specific test exists to identify whether a person is an eidetiker and forms eidetic memories. Researchers theorize that this is a result of children having a greater tendency to rely on the visual images they see, while adults have a tendency to try to encode both visual and verbal cues, thus weakening the formation of eidetic memories. Eidetic memory has been positively confirmed in children, but only in about between 2 to 15% of American children under the age of 12. Importantly, in order for a memory to be considered eidetic it cannot rely on any mnemonic devices to assist with its recall. The ability does not require prolonged exposure to the visual image, and it also does not last for a prolonged period of time. Though eidetic memory has been shown to exist, it is also exceedingly rare, and usually only seen in children.Įidetic memory is the ability to recall an image, as well as sounds and other sensations associated with that image, with so much accurate detail that it is as if they are still seeing it. ” This has led to people linking eidetic memory to photographic memory, a phenomenon that scientists have said is an entirely different ability that may be more myth than fact. According to the Encyclopedia of Psychology, eidetic memory is “ abundant and unusually vivid visual recall. There has recently been an influx of discussion and questions about eidetic memory within the world of psychology.
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