Do you know that there are people who remember images with many details? At Psychology-Online we want to talk to you about how to have photographic memory through several exercises to strengthen memory.
What is memory
The memory It is a psychological process that serves to encode information, store it encoded in our brain and retrieve it when we need it. There are different ones, among which we find long-term memory, short-term memory and the one that concerns us in this article: photographic memory.
What does it mean to have a photographic memory?
When we talk about photographic memoryalso called eidetic memory, we refer to the ability to remember an image in detail. Characters with this prodigious ability appear on television and in movies, such as Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory) or Lexie Gray (Grey’s Anatomy). They teach us how they remember entire books or past events with all the details such as the people who were there, the clothes they were wearing and even everything that was in that place.
Specific research and tests to demonstrate the existence of this very detailed type of memory have not obtained results that confirm it. There have been experiments in which participants “studied” an image for 40 seconds, but then they did not remember as many details as they thought and they made mistakes. Therefore, the photographic memory that they currently talk about could not be verified just as they describe it.
On the other hand, Brown and Kulik (1977) gave a more realistic description of what they called “flashbulb memories.” They also refer to a type of memory that retains all the details as if it were a photograph but it seems to be associated with emotion.
This type of memories or memories are characterized by being precise, vivid, concrete and lasting. Memories refer to a personal circumstance surrounding the discovery of events of an emotional nature and personally important to the individual. That is, we can remember in sufficient detail (situation, smells, felt emotions…) events that have been very important to us or a great emotional impact.
For example, people who experience dramatic situations such as an attack (9/11, 3/11…) can remember it with almost photographic quality due to emotional activation. It also seems that interference and the forgetting curve influence these memories less.
How can I have photographic memory
No one doubts that there are people who have a fantastic memory and remember the study topics just by reading them. Without going any further, I know some of them and, honestly, I envy that ease. But as I have already mentioned in the previous section, having a good memory is not the same as remembering all the details of something with just a glance.
So, having a photographic memory is not an option as is, but yes you can strengthen your memory. You can get remember more things in less time and you can learn to pass what you learn to yourself to retain it for much longer.
Exercises to strengthen memory
Since ancient Rome there is evidence of the use of exercises to improve the memory. Below I present some, somewhat more current, so that you can train and strengthen your memory:
1. The PQRST method
The PQRST method is used to improve text retention. In Spanish the acronym would be PPLRP (Preview, Ask, Read, Review and Test)
- Foresee: do a general review of the text, identifying the structure and main ideas.
- Ask: ask yourself about what you just saw, for example what it wants to transmit, what parts it is divided into…
- Read the complete text and carefully trying to answer the questions we posed.
- To answer to all the questions raised. If we cannot answer any, read the text again.
- We test what we have retained. If the process has worked, we will remember the ideas developed and the overall structure of the text. Otherwise we must repeat the process.
2. The review
To consolidate the knowledge we have acquired and give it durability, the key is review. The review should be done the same day (better if it is before going to sleep to avoid interference), the next day, when several days have passed, and a few days before the test or exam.
3. Absurd association method
To remember a complicated list or simply where you left things, I recommend the absurd association method. It is about imagining the object that you are going to keep or the word that you are going to study in a strange or absurd situation. For example, imagine that you are going to keep your keys in the drawer of your nightstand, because when you do, invent an absurd story such as that the keys dance on the nightstand and jump into the drawer as if they were doing synchronized swimming. The absurdity of the story is what will make you remember, so the weirder the better.
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External aids for memory problems
Whether due to age or due to an illness, sometimes our memory does not work as well as we would like and we forget things. Here are some recommendations that can help you:
- Use the calendar wall or mobile phone to remember appointments.
- Daily alarms for medicines.
- Use a diary daily.
- Paste grades in key places to remember something.
Now there is a wide variety of lists, planners and organizing boards which are undoubtedly of great help, whether you have memory problems or not, because sometimes with so much to do it is difficult not to forget something.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to have photographic memorywe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Ballesteros Jiménez, S. (2014). Psychology of Memory. Madrid: Universitas
- Valois, D. (2016). Maximum Memory: how to improve your memory in one afternoon. David Valois.