EIDETIC IMAGERY
Everyone knows what it is like to close one's eyes
and call up a visual image using the "mind's eye." For most people this image is
usually fleeting and undetailed, but for those who possess an ability
for eidetic imagery, this image is like a tangible picture that can be
manipulated and seen in great detail.
Eidetic imagery is a psychological
puzzle that has multiple definitions, an extensive
history, and a long list of characteristics. The
exact relationship between eidetic imagery and other kinds of visual imagery is not quite understood, and comparisons between the two have left
many psychologists divided on opposite sides of the issue.
There have been many experiments over the years to determine who is
eidetic and who is not, and much of this research has turned up an odd
correlation between eidetic imagery and age.
It is
often thought that Luria's "S" was capable of eidetic imagery, but his
skills were based more on strong visual abilities and "imagination imagery"
than on eidetic capabilities. A true adult eidetiker, however, was named
"Elizabeth" and she possessed remarkable abilities with 10.000-dot
stereograms.
Eidetic imagery is a unique phenomenon that
has baffled psychologists for decades, but the interesting things that it
can tell us about visual stimulation and cognitive abilities will continue
to perpetuate further research for decades to come.