Memories are the basis in which people construct their lives. Ranging from building relationships to developing opinions, they play an undeniable role in everyday life. In fact, Dr. Pierce J. Howard, Director of Research for Applied Cognitive Studies, describes the memory as “Learning that sticks,” (Howard 526). As important as memories are, average individuals forget a majority of their life. For instance, typical people will not be able to recall what they ate for breakfast a year ago or what they first saw when they woke up three months ago. On the contrary, there is a condition called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HASM), or Hyperthymesia, that defies the boundaries of a typical memory. This superior memory gives individuals
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McGaugh, Larry Cahill, and colleague Elizabeth S. Parker met with Jill Price soon after contact had been made. While the researchers were hesitant at first, Price generously lent herself to numerous standardized tests and questions for the next five years (Cahill, Larry, Elizabeth S. Parker, and James L. McGaugh 35-36). From the beginning of research McGaugh and his colleagues note that Price’s memory, unlike other previously documented superior memories, relates deeply and personally to her interests and emotions (36). In fact, these previously documented memories do not enable the use of autobiographical remembering, but instead facilitate mnemonics and other strategies to memorize generally useless information such as maps, calendars, digits, or lists of words (LePort, Aurora K.R., et al 1). Solidifying the researchers’ observations, other superior memory individuals concluded that they did not have reoccurring personal recollections. One of these individuals is a professional mnemonist, who was studied in the year 1987, described his personal life as ‘in a haze’ (Cahill, Larry, Elizabeth S. Parker, and James L. McGaugh 2). Finally, in October of 2005, Parker, McGaugh, and Cahill submitted the first in depth article over HSAM to the journal of Neurocase. In early 2006, the article titled “A Case of Unusual Autobiographical Remembering” was published, and Jill Price became the first known HSAM
McGaugh, Larry Cahill, and colleague Elizabeth S. Parker met with Jill Price soon after contact had been made. While the researchers were hesitant at first, Price generously lent herself to numerous standardized tests and questions for the next five years (Cahill, Larry, Elizabeth S. Parker, and James L. McGaugh 35-36). From the beginning of research McGaugh and his colleagues note that Price’s memory, unlike other previously documented superior memories, relates deeply and personally to her interests and emotions (36). In fact, these previously documented memories do not enable the use of autobiographical remembering, but instead facilitate mnemonics and other strategies to memorize generally useless information such as maps, calendars, digits, or lists of words (LePort, Aurora K.R., et al 1). Solidifying the researchers’ observations, other superior memory individuals concluded that they did not have reoccurring personal recollections. One of these individuals is a professional mnemonist, who was studied in the year 1987, described his personal life as ‘in a haze’ (Cahill, Larry, Elizabeth S. Parker, and James L. McGaugh 2). Finally, in October of 2005, Parker, McGaugh, and Cahill submitted the first in depth article over HSAM to the journal of Neurocase. In early 2006, the article titled “A Case of Unusual Autobiographical Remembering” was published, and Jill Price became the first known HSAM