An investigation of calendar calculating by an idiot savant.
Three mechanisms (eidetic imagery, high-speed calculation, and substitute compensation for normal learning) were investigated and rejected as possible explanations for the calendar-calculating ability of a particular idiot savant. Reaction times for calendar calculations indicated that he used neither an idiosyncratic nor a calendar-based system. Rote memory and a special ability to concentrate for extended periods of time were postulated to explain this individual's performance.
D004538:Eidetic Imagery; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008875:Middle Aged; D010153:Paired-Associate Learning; D011340:Problem Solving; D013997:Time Factors; D014888:Wechsler Scales