...By Judah Olanisebee for TDPel Media.
“Super Memorisers” Wanted for Study on Memory Recall
Cambridge University is on the lookout for “super memorisers” to participate in a study aimed at uncovering why some people excel at remembering things.
The search involves an online test and survey, and those with exceptional memory will be invited to the university for an MRI scan to check for differences in their brain function or structure.
While memory is one of the most comprehended psychological processes in terms of brain networks, researchers have yet to fully understand why some individuals possess exceptional memories, according to Cambridge professor Jon Simons.
The study also aims to determine whether individuals who are neurodiverse or autistic have a better memory.
Previous research with autistic writer Daniel Tammet, who has synaesthesia and can recall pi to 22,514 digits, has been conducted.
Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, who leads the project, encourages anyone who believes they may be a “super memoriser” to participate in the test, regardless of whether they are neurotypical or neurodiverse.
The study is open to individuals aged 16 to 60 and includes games such as remembering patterns and sequences of objects.
Dr Carrie Allison, from Cambridge’s autism research centre, hopes the project will provide insight into memory and whether exceptional memory is related to autism.
For decades, autism research has focused on disability, but this study is a chance to focus on strengths, she said.
Exploring Exceptional Memory Recall
The study seeks to identify why some people have exceptional memories, which remains a puzzle to scientists.
The search includes a group of people with extraordinary memories who can recall large amounts of data with high accuracy.
Guinness World Records recognises several individuals as some of the world’s best memorisers, including Rejveer Meena from India, who was able to recall pi to 70,000 decimal places in 2015, and Kim Surim from North Korea, who memorised the order of 2.530 playing cards in one hour at the 2019 world memory championships.
The study provides a unique opportunity to explore the mysteries of memory recall and uncover whether there are differences in the brains of people with exceptional memory.
The research could also provide an opportunity to explore the strengths of neurodiverse individuals and potentially improve their quality of life.
By understanding more about exceptional memory, researchers hope to provide insights into cognitive functioning that could benefit individuals across the board.
