Today I heard the term "eidetic" for the first time. It was a clip of comedian Tina Friml where she asked an audience member about being an "eidetic artist".

This new tunnel in my rabbit hole of mental imagery has me asking:

How many here know what an "eidetic memory" is, and how do you think it ties into hyperphantasia? I've seen that some hyperphants seem to have very strong visual memory...

From my understanding that eidetic memory occurs in 2-10% of kids. Which they are able to remember things at quick glances, and would either remember it for a period of time or it would be forgotten after four minutes. I read about someone on another subreddit, claiming to still have eidetic memory and were able to remember everything. I assume this individual was an adult. I tried to look up the statistic of adults who would hold such trait from their adolescence years. I had come across reports claiming it to be virtually non-existent for adults, and it would go back to the 2-10% for those who are children.

Has there been any current updates that claims in rare cases that adults may be able to hold such traits. If so, what are the percentage of the population to hold this trait past through their adolescence.

Also had this recall of a show about a boy who had photographic memory. (Smart Guy) So I started thinking. Did some research about photographic memory, and there has been some conflicting statements with the topic.

Some would say that it doesn’t exist, or it still relates with eidetic memory. Some claim that both types of memory are non-existent. Studies prove to be a false thing among kids who were tested. Asking the children to scan the image without eye movement. Some would be able to see the image still, and others in vague pieces of the image. Then a second test for them to scan the image while looking around the image for thirty seconds. The results came back that they were able to piece back basic imagery that stood out the most. Stating it was rare that a child could be able to do so, and eventually after a while the image would be gone from memory.

So is it something that exists or non- existent? Also is it still reliable to believe still that children are capable of such things from the 2-10% category.

Hyperthymesia: I’m still learning more about this memory concept. Has it relates for those to have near perfect vivid recollections of events that had occurred within certain time, dates, and locations.

This is a piece of a thesis from memoryOS:

This is far from reality. No-one with hyperthymesia has ever claimed to remember everything. When they discovered Jill Price, the first confirmed person with this condition, the scientists at first guessed that she would be extremely intelligent and have an extraordinary general memory. But tests soon revealed her IQ to be 95 (just below average) and her ability to memorize random information, or facts for exams, to be no better than that in just any person. This seems to hold for all of the HSAM subjects.

They do have a fantastic autobiographical memory, but at a closer look, it appears as if they don’t remember more about their lives than the rest of us to begin with, it’s just that they remember it for a more extended period of time. When scientists compared the memories of a group of HSAMs with a “normal” control group, they found that both groups remembered what had happened to them the last week in approximately the same detail. It was first when you looked further back in their memories that the HSAMs were superior. Their retention of the memories was far better.

An HSAM subject will remember what happened to her ten years ago, but she will not remember it better than you remember what happened to you last week. It is still inspiring, of course, but quite different from the idea you get about it from careless media reports.

So what are your findings and opinions on hyperthymesia? Also any sites that would be recommended to follow up more with research and understanding?