How common is having a photographic memory?

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
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I've heard that people with photographic memories just pay attention more. I mean, I know if I really focus, listen, and think about what someone is saying, I'm more likely to remember it.
 

zerocool1

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2002
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femaven.blogspot.com
not necessarily, their neural networks are better designed to pick up into sensory memory and from there go to short term memory, and then to long-term memory. with people with photographic memory the process is sped up.
 

daniel1113

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2003
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I think almost everyone has a small photographic memory when they are really paying attention.

However, people with astounding photographic memories, that can literally glance at a piece of paper and have it memorized, are a different story.
 

shilala

Lifer
Oct 5, 2004
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Originally posted by: JoeKing
I've got a pornographic memory. How common is that?

Ditto. Crack my head with a hatchet and there's gonna be 11ty beeeelion pussies running around on the floor.

 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Wait though..

Having a photographic memory is having the ability to remember past memories with pictures, right?

It's not just having a good memory.

How about being able to visualize things, in general? Like, I can visualize in slow motion a single cylinder 4-cycle engine working, just like watching an animated GIF. I can blow the parts up and draw assembly lines in my head, just as if I was looking at a parts breakdown.

Is that considered "photographic" memory? It's hard to imagine that people can't do that.. I used to think that's just the way it was, everyone was like that.. when I was younger.
 

shilala

Lifer
Oct 5, 2004
11,437
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Originally posted by: Eli
Wait though..

Having a photographic memory is having the ability to remember past memories with pictures, right?

It's not just having a good memory.

How about being able to visualize things, in general? Like, I can visualize in slow motion a single cylinder 4-cycle engine working, just like watching an animated GIF. I can blow the parts up and draw assembly lines in my head, just as if I was looking at a parts breakdown.

Is that considered "photographic" memory? It's hard to imagine that people can't do that.. I used to think that's just the way it was, everyone was like that.. when I was younger.

That's just a "guy thing" to an extent. Men have advanced spacial conceptuality.
I can design and build entire piping/mechanical systems in my head complete with dimensions, geometry and elevations. I can dip into any chunk and verbalize it or sketch it.
It's one of those things that come easy for me, and I was foryunate to find a line of work that takes advantage of that ability.
Women naturally lack spacial concepts. That's why they'll buy it when you tell them "of course that's 10 inches".
 

vegetation

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2001
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Originally posted by: Kaido
I've heard that people with photographic memories just pay attention more. I mean, I know if I really focus, listen, and think about what someone is saying, I'm more likely to remember it.

That's not what photographic memory is about. It's literally being able to see the past as if it were a picture. And you aren't trained, just born that way. Works fantastic for memorizing textbooks and such, but does little for critical thinking applications.
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: vegetation
Originally posted by: Kaido
I've heard that people with photographic memories just pay attention more. I mean, I know if I really focus, listen, and think about what someone is saying, I'm more likely to remember it.

That's not what photographic memory is about. It's literally being able to see the past as if it were a picture. And you aren't trained, just born that way. Works fantastic for memorizing textbooks and such, but does little for critical thinking applications.
Yeah. Like a slide show. An actual picture of the event in your head.

Exactly as the name implies.
 

Atomicus

Banned
May 20, 2004
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I use to have photographic memory when I was a kid.... sure came in handy during my chinese tests.
Then came HS, sleep deprivation, and it became pornographic memory :(
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
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Originally posted by: shilala
Originally posted by: Eli
Wait though..

Having a photographic memory is having the ability to remember past memories with pictures, right?

It's not just having a good memory.

How about being able to visualize things, in general? Like, I can visualize in slow motion a single cylinder 4-cycle engine working, just like watching an animated GIF. I can blow the parts up and draw assembly lines in my head, just as if I was looking at a parts breakdown.

Is that considered "photographic" memory? It's hard to imagine that people can't do that.. I used to think that's just the way it was, everyone was like that.. when I was younger.

That's just a "guy thing" to an extent. Men have advanced spacial conceptuality.
I can design and build entire piping/mechanical systems in my head complete with dimensions, geometry and elevations. I can dip into any chunk and verbalize it or sketch it.
It's one of those things that come easy for me, and I was foryunate to find a line of work that takes advantage of that ability.
Women naturally lack spacial concepts. That's why they'll buy it when you tell them "of course that's 10 inches".
Hmm, I guess.. but doesen't it go along with the photographic memory thing?

To me, it feels like I'm using the same "mechanism" to visualize a memory, as I am to visualize the engine running, or even a yet-to-exist part that I'm fabricating in my head...

(To clear up any possible confusion, I mean the same mechanism to do the actual in-head viewing, not the thinking processes involved in remembering or fabricating).
 

Triumph

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
15,031
14
81
Originally posted by: Eli
Wait though..

Having a photographic memory is having the ability to remember past memories with pictures, right?

It's not just having a good memory.

How about being able to visualize things, in general? Like, I can visualize in slow motion a single cylinder 4-cycle engine working, just like watching an animated GIF. I can blow the parts up and draw assembly lines in my head, just as if I was looking at a parts breakdown.

Is that considered "photographic" memory? It's hard to imagine that people can't do that.. I used to think that's just the way it was, everyone was like that.. when I was younger.

Yeah, that's not really anything special...sorry.
 

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
28,651
100
91
I have a photographic memory, but everything is stored in .jpg so I lose a fair amount of detail.
 
Nov 7, 2000
16,403
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when i remember things for classes i can often picture the words/formulas etc. as i initially read them

i cant remember my parents birthdays though :(

i would say having a completely photographic memory (ie you see it once, you can recite from memory) is extremely rare, if not impossible