Photographic memory or eidetic memory is the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with great accuracy and in seemingly unlimited volume. For instance, many famous artists and composers like Claude Monet and Mozart possibly had eidetic memory. However, Dr. Marvin Minsky in his book The Society of Mind claims to have been unable to verify claims of eidetic memory (see sections 15.3 & 15.6) and considers reports of eidetic memory to be an "unfounded myth". Perhaps claims for eidetic memory could be considered "urban legends". The Guinness Book of Records nevertheless lists people with extraordinary memories. For example, Hideaki Tomoyori correctly recited the first 40,000 decimals of Pi in March 1987, and on November 3, 1994 Tom Groves memorized the order of cards in a randomly shuffled 52-card deck in 42.01 seconds. Whether this qualifies as eidectic or not is a matter of definition. The word eidetic itself refers to a remarkable recall of vivid images.
Many believe that autists frequently display this ability, as well as those with similar conditions like Asperger's syndrome.
Eidetic memory in fiction
This is a partial list (fictional characters with eidetic memory appear in parentheses):
"Funes, the Memorious", a short story written by Jorge Luis Borges (Funes)
Photographicmemory, eidetic memory, or total recall, is the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with great accuracy and in seemingly unlimited volume.
Support for the belief that eidetic memory could be a myth was supplied by the psychologist Adriaan de Groot, who conducted an experiment into the ability of chess Grandmasters to memorise complex positions of chess pieces on a chess board.
Megumi Minami, one of the students in this school and the lead female character, is known to have a photographicmemory that helps her solve cases.
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