The Importance Of Photographic Memory

Memory, in an average person, is far from a perfect video playback. Storing memories requires a process of encoding, storage, and retrieval. For most of us, our memories are limited by the efficiency of storage and the accuracy of retrieval. But for those with savant syndrome and highly superior autobiographical memory, it is theorized that these limitations can be bypassed resulting in extraordinarily accurate or seemingly infinite memory.

McLeod (2007) describes memory as the psychological function of processing & preserving vast amounts of information such as visual images, acoustic sounds and semantic meanings. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology (2009), memory involves a series of interconnected systems that serve different functions. The basic divisions of these systems are declarative and procedural memory, episodic and semantic memory and long and short term memory.

Memory in the human brain is a complex process which is easier understood by the use of theoretical constructs. Memories begin as sensory stimuli which become sensory memory which only last about one second, from there it moves into working memory which lasts for about twenty to thirty seconds and is used to process information. Within working memory there are a few separate processes, the central executive which directs attention, the episodic buffer which is a secondary storage lasting ten to twenty seconds, this area communicates with long term memory as well as the central executive. The visuospatial sketchpad which is used to visualise visual and spacial

In experiments of scene memory, subjects viewed hundreds of photographs of natural scenes. Afterward, they were asked to identify which photograph they had seen and which ones they had never viewed before. Even though subjects can recognize previously viewed pictures very well, the memories were not linked to the precise visual form. In addition, subjects failed to detect changes when the images were mirror-reversed. These

Abstract: This essay reflects on the relationship of photographs, history, and memory based on a found and mutilated photo album. Photographs provide opportunities for disrupting and restructuring history with their attraction to memory; they privilege the subjective, creative power of the personal explanation and provide an emotional and even ideological grounding for memory. Photographs as manifestations of memory assist in the process of understanding the present.

Another piece of evidence from the author is, “The psychologists Daniel J. Simons and Christopher Chabris have conducted two large-scale surveys showing that roughly half of respondents thought that memory works like a video recorder. And although many people do recognize that their memories are fallible, there is much less understanding of precisely how and why they fail us.” (Fernyhough 1). This shows that many people think that “memory works like a video recorder” meaning that they

Human memory is a complex cognitive structure, which can be defined in many ways. One would argue that memory is 1.) The mental function of retaining information about stimuli, event, images, ideas, etc. after the original stimuli is no longer present. 2.) The hypothesized storage system in the mind that holds this information is so retained. A clear distinction is made between different types of memory systems and can be divided into subclasses.

The article “Directed Forgetting: Comparing Pictures and Words”, proposed a hypothesis and conducted an experiment in support of the Picture Superiority Effect ; authors Quinlan, Taylor, and Fawcett propose that the Picture Superiority Effect , the idea that pictures will be remembered better than words, and transfer appropriate processing, the “general finding that memory is improved when there is a match rather than a mismatch

Imagine having the ability to take a screenshot of what one sees. It sounds like photographic memory, that superhuman ability one often hears about on Dateline or movies and shows. As much as the idea of saving everything one has ever perceived, storing it away like a file in a cabinet, and recalling it at a moment’s notice sounds amazing, it just isn’t plausible. Despite the stories you may have heard from friends, photographic memory is not real. This misconception is often muddled with eidetic memory. Eidetic memory is the ability to recall certain images in great detail for a certain amount of time. The key detail about eidetic memory is that these “snapshots” are not stored forever. They eventually fade over time

Memory can play huge roles in our day to day lives. Without memories, we wouldn’t be able to improve our past mistakes, be emotional, and keep ourselves safer.

“We remember what we understand; we understand only what we pay attention to; we pay attention to what we want,” is a famous memory quote stated by an actor, Edward Bolles. Memory is a broad term that reflects different processing abilities on how humans encode, store and retrieves information. There are numerous domains in the human’s memory ability with the storage and retrieval of short-term and long-term information. For many centuries, theorist has tested recall and recognition capabilities on the human’s memory functions. Memory retention is our ability to retain experiences based on the mental process, through the organization of information through meaning, where relations between new information is associated with the previously stored

Photographers notice many more positive things in their subjects, so when the receiver sees what the photographer saw, the negative aspects seem less prominent. “The positive areas of life portrayed in conscious photographs might represent the way… in which the individual copes with a negative area of life portrayed in the unconscious photographs” (Natoli, 20). Almost nobody sees themselves the way others see them. A person generally looks in the mirror and will commonly notice what they think to be bad things about themselves. Other people notice better things in that person’s countenance. When individuals see how the photographer saw them, they can hold on to the more positive point of view, and let go of the old, degrading view. A receiver can acquire a different point of view through photographs of the world, rather than of the person himself. Robert Draper, an author for National Geographic, wrote, “The very best of [a photographer’s] images remind us that a photograph has the power to do infinitely more than document. It can transport us to unseen worlds.” Although there are times when a picture fails to do a scene justice, there are also times when it can take a viewer’s breath away. Some photos can cause people to let their imagination wander, or release unknown inhibitions. They are taken away from the business of everyday life, and taken to a new place, even for a moment. When an incredible moment

The aim of this investigation was to look to see if there is a difference in the recollection if the format in which information is presented is different. Lists of words and images were compared to find the most effective source of recollection. This topic of research has many real life applications for instance how students study in preparation for exams. If there is a format that is more successful at recollecting memory then that would help with studying and can be expanded to how general education is taught. This field of psychology could help to revolutionise memory and its capabilities if enough study is concentrated on it.

Since the researchers defined remembrance as “an increase in retention test performance of one item or more from the short term to long term retention test” (Farley and Grant, 1976, p. 149), they found that people did recall more information and forgot less if they were exposed to the colorful slides. The number of

Memory makes us. It is, to an extent, a collection of unique and personal experiences that we, as individuals, have amassed over our lifetime. It is what connects us to our past and what shapes our present and the future. If we are unable remember the what, when, where, and who of our everyday lives, our level of functioning would be greatly impacted. Memory is defined as or recognized as the “sum or total of what we remember.” Memory provides us the ability to learn and adjust to or from prior experiences. In addition, memory or our ability to remember plays an integral role in the building and sustaining of relationships. Additionally, memory is also a process; it is how we internalize and store our external environment and experiences. It entails the capacity to remember past experiences, and the process of recalling previous experiences, information, impressions, habits and skills to awareness. It is the storage of materials learned and/or retained from our experiences. This fact is demonstrated by the modification, adjustment and/or adaptation of structure or behavior. Furthermore, we as individuals, envision thoughts and ideas of the present through short-term memory, or in our working memory, we warehouse past experiences and learned values in long-term memory, also referred to as episodic or semantic memory. Most importantly, memory is malleable and it is intimately linked to our sense of identity and where we believe we belong in the world.