Exceptional memorizers: made, not born.
In a recent study, Maguire and colleagues failed to find systematic differences in brain anatomy between world-class memory performers and matched control subjects. The world-class performers exhibited distinctive patterns of brain activation during memorization, but these patterns were directly attributable to the experts' unique encoding strategies and acquired memory skills. Discussed here are the implications for broad attainability of highly skilled memory performance in professional and everyday activities.
Anders Ericsson
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Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA; and Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, 75 Alta Road, 94305-8090, Stanford, CA, USA