Remarkable Memory

Memory can be divided into three subsections, which are sensory, short-term, and long-term memory. In the case of Kim Peek, his sensory and short-term memory seem to function normally. His rise to fame was mostly due to his exceptional long-term memory abilities, namely his talent for remembering every book he has read with high recall and recognition.

Long-term memory can be divided into two categories, procedural memory and declarative memory.

Procedural memory

- Also known as implicit or unconscious memory

Procedural memory, as the name suggests, is the long-term memory for “How To” information such as technical skills and procedures. Governed by different mechanisms than that of declarative memory, procedural memories are typically called upon without us having to think about it.

They are rarely verbalized, and often, people do not remember how, when, or where they picked up that particular procedural skill. Some examples are riding a bike, typing, or swimming. Even if you could not remember who taught you to ride a bike, how old you were when you first typed on a keyboard, or where your first swimming lesson was, you would still be able to perform those procedures.

In the case of Kim Peek, some doctors believe that his procedural memory is impaired. This is because he has problems with some everyday tasks, such as figuring out a light switch, how to button up his shirt, brushing his teeth or combing his hair. He still needs help from his father to complete these ordinary self-care tasks that most of us take for granted.

It is important to note too, however, that doctors also believe that many of his inabilities to complete daily tasks are concurrently attributable to his impairment in motor skills.


Declarative memory

- Also known as explicit memory

Declarative memory is the memory store that deals with facts. These are memories that can be recalled, consciously discussed, and repeated aloud (declared). It is often equated to the concept of knowledge.

There are two types of declarative memory, which are semantic memory, and episodic memory. Episodic memory is theoretical data that incorporates knowledge of a specific time and place – such as personal experiences. Semantic memory is information that is memorized without the need for knowing about a specific event – that is, factual knowledge. Semantic memory includes stored information about things and their meanings, occurrences in history, geography, etc.

In the case of Kim Peek, it is his amazing capacity in semantic memory that shot him to fame. As mentioned in the introduction, he has read upwards of 10 000 books, and is able to retain most of this information with a high degree of accuracy.

Declarative memories can be more solidly committed to memory by using mnemonics (memory aids) and rehearsal or repetition. Information that is not regularly accessed is subject to being forgotten, although those that have been remembered well have the capacity to stay in the memory for indefinite amounts of time.

One interesting difference between Kim Peek and other people is that he does not seem to actively commit the information that he knows to memory – it happens unconsciously and automatically. He does not purposefully use any mnemonics, or consciously repeat information to himself to remember it. Recall of the information he has read seems to be one of Kim’s special talents.

It is speculated that Kim Peek possesses remarkable skill in eidetic (photographic) memory. This is sometimes known as ‘total recall’. It is defined as the capacity to recall objects, sounds, images, events or words from books in abundant volume, with extreme accuracy.

Children and adults who possess such memory have been known to be able to remember nearly-perfect representations of whatever it is they are asked to recall. Eidetikers, as they are known, have claimed to be able to ‘see’ those representations in an extraordinarily detailed and vivid fashion, despite the fact that the occurrence/object they have been asked to recall has come and gone.