Define eidetic how to#

Unlike common visual images created from memory, most eidetic images last between about half a minute to several minutes only, and it is possible to voluntarily destroy an eidetic image forever by the simple act of blinking intentionally. Second, a common visual image that we can all create from memory (such as an image of a bedroom) does not have the characteristics of most eidetic images, which almost always fade away involuntarily and part by part.Īlso, it is not possible to control which parts of an eidetic image fade and which remain visible.

In contrast, a true eidetic image doesn’t move as you move your eyes, and it is in the same color as the original picture. (For example, a flash camera can produce afterimages: the flash is bright white, but the afterimage is a black dot, and the dot moves around every time you move your eyes.)

Define eidetic how to#

Scroll down for more details, including information on how to test your “eidetic” or “photographic” memory!Īn article in Scientific American describes eidetic images as a kind of mental image that doesn’t move around when you move your eyes.Įidetic images differ from other forms of visual imagery in several important ways.įirst, 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. In the first part of this post, we’ll look at eidetic memory, and in the second part we’ll look at photographic memory. If it exists, it’s almost exclusively found in children.Įven if eidetic imagery exists, it doesn’t improve memory performance, so it’s probably a mistake to refer to a concept called “eidetic memory”.Įidetic imagery is not exactly the same as photographic memory, which also probably doesn’t exist.

Unfortunately, eidetic memory is a poorly understood concept that might not even exist. Eidetic memory is the controversial idea that some people are able to form special images in their minds that help them remember things “photographically”.