Question to those with eidetic memory

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SaveFerriis - Haven't heard that joke in a long time, definitely enjoyed it.

Claradoon - That's the trick with eidetic memories, in my experience there are certain triggers required to recall a memory saved. And, except in rare instances like the ones mentioned previously, we tend to remember a certain category of something. I can't remember a date to save my life but if someone can talk about an even that happened that day that is unique in my memory I can relatively easily recall that day.

It's definately an oldie , and incidently I can remember hearing the joke for the first time ( probably 30 years ago ) on a tv programme and I can remember the colour of the jumper the joke teller wore , I am trying to find a video of it to see if I'm right.

If there's a spectrum of memory I'm at the absolute bottom of the pile. My memory is horrifically bad. I sometimes catch myself reading posts on forum thinking "they sound similar to me" then realising I wrote it and completely forgot I had commented. Long term,short term,declarative,are all poor,long term is maybe the best.

It kind of sucks to be honest. I can only ever watch a movie once, because I can watch the whole thing in my head in about 5 seconds. I remember the exact wording of things people say, and things I say, whereas other people don't, and that can lead to a lot of frustration. But for some reason I have difficulty remembering to brush my teeth and appointments and such, executive functioning :/ Really, it's good in many ways, like I never forget where I park my car and never forget things I've learned even ten years ago, but there are challenges too, and they are difficult to describe...

So do you all get perfect grades? Can you all remember every word from the textbook?

Been there. I remember astonishing a guy I hadn't spoken with for 15 years by remembering our previous conversation.

He was stunned but he must have remembered it too so his memory is as good as mine.

I have a terrible visual memory. When I was young I used to stare at pictures for ages because when I looked away I'd forget what they looked like.

I have a good memory for sounds. I used to joke that I have a phonographic memory.

I stopped making that joke when my uncle, who speaks Greek, pointed out that phonographic memory is actually the correct term, as a phonograph is sound what photograph is to light.

I know this question is not aimed at me as I don't have an eidetic memory , just some eidetic qualities. I did very little work in school and just messed about most of the time, I did no revision for exams either. I didn't fail any exams and got the lowest grade possible for passing for most subjects and higher grades in subjects like computers. Sometimes I wish I applied myself more in school but I'd sill be in the same boat , I'd still have quit very good jobs due to stress and probably still posting here wondering if I ASD or not.

For the majority of my classes, yes I had perfect test scores and I never studied since there was no reason to. I was bored a lot however so I never did homework since I didn't see the reason of that either if I clearly knew the materials.

I wouldn't say I have an eidetic memory exactly, but I am able to recall visual details very easily. Spoken words I have a harder time with, but it still seems easier for me than others. I can memorize lines and entire scenes from movies and TV episodes that I've only seen once, and I can watch about ten seconds of a random clip of any Criminal Minds episode, and tell you exactly which episode it is, and what happened in it. For those who don't watch the show, it's currently on season 12.

I make a point of solidifying things in my memory by using the "mind palace" technique (a term borrowed from the TV show Sherlock), wherein each piece of information is tied to a mental image that's easy to recall, and you can follow the thread of mental images through an incredible amount of remembered information. I also use mnemonics to memorize license plates, and it never fails to amaze me how few people actually know their own license plate, even though it's needed for a number of different things. If I have to meet someone somewhere, I'll ask them for their plate number so I can be sure I've met them in the right spot, and they'll say something like, "I don't know, but my car is a [colour] [make] [model]". All I can think when they say that is, "I don't know what that brand of car looks like, and there are millions of them out there. Give me some identifying information that's unique to YOUR car!

^I don't have a Mind Palace, but I do have something akin to Youtube.

StarTrekker I do the exact same thing and have the same issue, it's kind of nice to hear someone else does that! I like the mind palace thing to, I read a series as a kid called Encyclopedia Brown and he would say "Snap!" to take a picture of a moment that would be relevant or important.

That was my case exactly but I got no respect at home for it because it was easy. My brother worked hard and got straight C's that were worth much more than my straight A's because it's the work that counts. I think it was only my mother trying to make life even between me and my brother but it wasn't fair. I developed a guilt complex about my good marks. Bro was a great athlete; too bad Mom couldn't equate athletics with book learning. Then we'd have been equal.

I did well in my classes, but it wasn't just "one and done." I didn't just glance at my notes one time and just know it. I studied and read everything possible about my chosen subject. Because of this, I can answer any question somebody might have about a certain topic of interest.

Please let me take your brain and put it my skull!

I have a good memory for names and facts, but a horrible one when it comes to phone numbers if it isn't a number I call frequently.

I don't know if my memory counts as an eidetic memory, but I regularly freak people out with how much I remember about what they've told me.

For example, one time in school, I heard a classmate say how much they weighed. Four years later, I was with that classmate. I saw a number on a door and said, "Isn't that how much you weighed four years ago?"

Also, for every object in my possession (I think) I can tell you what year I got it in and how I got it. It's automatic.

Sometimes I get a stream of memories at night when I am trying to sleep. Most of the time, it's something funny, and I can't sleep.

However, I do not have a photographic memory, and I can't seem to remember too much for school. And my short term memory is abbysmal.

It sounds wonderful but there's a lot of negatives with it as well. I worked a very dangerous job and I was injured many, many times and have broken more bones than most people know exist. There are times when I have something that jogs a memory of some of those pains or some of the less than pleasant things I had to do and I have to relive every wretched moment. I oft times wish I had a more normal brain.