The Photographic Mind
April 8th 2011 16:17
In rare cases, the brain is not simply a sponge that soaks up information, but a black hole with an endless vacuum bag.
After studying something for no less than 30 minutes, the brain sucks in the information and is able to store it there for several years later.
While the truth of eidetic memory has been disputed, there is strong evidence that it is not something you can ‘learn to have.’
People with eidetic memory are able to confidently describe exact images after they have been taken away from their sight, recalling tiny details that most could not remember.
“An eidetic image is not simply a long afterimage, since afterimages move around when you move your eyes and are usually a different color than the original image,” said Alan Searleman, a psychology professor from St. Laurence University.
When someone without eidetic memory looks at something bright for a long period of time, the image will be imprinted on their retinas, so they will still be able to retrace and see the outline of that image, or ‘afterimage.’
One with eidetic memory will be able to see an exact copy of the image, as if it was never moved from their sight.
However, it takes tremendous focus and patience to imprint an image on the mind, for those who have eidetic memories, as the images can be destroyed from memory by merely blinking.
But there is a rumor about eidetic memories which is largely untrue.
Eidetic memories, contrary to popular beliefs, do not last for a long amount of time.
In fact, “unlike common visual images created from memory, most eidetic images last between about half a minute to several minutes only.”
And eidetic memories are not as accurate as many assume.
“The accuracy of many eidetic memories is far from perfect. It is not unusual for eidetikers to alter visual details and to invent some that were never in the original.”
So it seems that having an eidetic memory isn’t as much of an advantage as is preconceived by many.
“One of the problems with having a photographic memory is that [one] may absorb too much information, and [one] may have to deal with a lot of data that is irrelevant... Humans are not designed to be mere databases which store tremendous amounts of information” said Exforsys Inc’s article “Photographic Memory.”
If one’s mind is crammed full of extraneous information and ideas that one attained several years previous, the mind is used for the wrong reasons.
And so in these ways, having a ‘recall-all’ memory is a disadvantage.
The science behind eidetic memories is still very rough and yet to be fully explored.
Because of the individuality of each person’s brain, it is often hard to research, and even the most educated college professors struggle to understand the way in which the mind works.
However, one thing is for sure.
Eidetic memories are a fascinating subject, and perhaps their mystery is what attracts us to the psychology and makes them so intriguing to reasearch.
| 33 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
