{"id":490,"date":"2023-03-03T19:12:50","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T19:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/chapter\/7-1-apply-it\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T17:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T17:22:40","slug":"7-1-apply-it","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/chapter\/7-1-apply-it\/","title":{"raw":"How Memory Functions: Apply It","rendered":"How Memory Functions: Apply It"},"content":{"raw":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\">\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Explain how sensory information is encoded into memory<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Describe the three stages of memory storage<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Understand the difference between implicit and explicit memory and semantic and episodic memory<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Explain retrieval cues and the three types of retrieval<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h3>Awe-Inspiring Memory<\/h3>\r\n<p>Examples of people with eidetic memory or photographic memory are rare, but here is one person you should know: Stephen Wiltshire. Stephen is a British architectural artist and autistic savant. He is known for his ability to draw an accurate and detailed landscape from memory after seeing it just once. He learned to speak at the age of nine, and at the age of ten began drawing detailed sketches of London landmarks. His work has gained worldwide popularity. He frequently draws entire cities from memory, based on single, brief helicopter rides. His nineteen-foot-long drawing of 305 square miles of New York City is based on a twenty-minute helicopter ride.<\/p>\r\n<section class=\"textbox watchIt\">Watch this video to see some of Stephen's work:<br \/>\r\n<p>[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LrgbDXtt4UQ[\/embed]<\/p>\r\n<p>You can view the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+Psych\/This+Artist+Draws+Detailed+Cityscapes+Entirely+From+Memory.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \u201cThis Artist Draws Detailed Cityscapes Entirely From Memory\u201d here (opens in new window).<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\">\r\n<div class=\"group w-full text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-100 border-b border-black\/10 dark:border-gray-900\/50 dark:bg-gray-800\">\r\n<div class=\"flex p-4 gap-4 text-base md:gap-6 md:max-w-2xl lg:max-w-[38rem] xl:max-w-3xl md:py-6 lg:px-0 m-auto\">\r\n<div class=\"relative flex w-[calc(100%-50px)] flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3 lg:w-[calc(100%-115px)]\">\r\n<div class=\"flex flex-grow flex-col gap-3\">\r\n<div class=\"min-h-[20px] flex items-start overflow-x-auto whitespace-pre-wrap break-words flex-col gap-4\">\r\n<div class=\"empty:hidden\">How did Stephen create his drawings? What is unique about his process?<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"flex justify-between lg:block\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Public Sans', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">[reveal-answer q=\"906331\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]<\/span><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"group w-full text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-100 border-b border-black\/10 dark:border-gray-900\/50 bg-gray-50 dark:bg-[#444654]\">\r\n<div class=\"flex p-4 gap-4 text-base md:gap-6 md:max-w-2xl lg:max-w-[38rem] xl:max-w-3xl md:py-6 lg:px-0 m-auto\">\r\n<div class=\"relative flex w-[calc(100%-50px)] flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3 lg:w-[calc(100%-115px)]\">\r\n<div class=\"flex flex-grow flex-col gap-3\">\r\n<div class=\"min-h-[20px] flex items-start overflow-x-auto whitespace-pre-wrap break-words flex-col gap-4\">\r\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\r\n<p>[hidden-answer a=\"906331\"]Stephen creates his intricate cityscape drawings entirely from memory. His unique process involves taking a helicopter ride over the city he intends to draw, during which he carefully observes and memorizes the panorama. After this brief observation, he proceeds to draw highly accurate and detailed images of the cityscape, including tall buildings, skylines, and street scenes, all from his memory. What sets Stephen's process apart is his incredible ability to retain and recall a vast amount of visual detail from a single viewing experience, a skill often associated with his autism. The level of precision and intricacy in his drawings, achieved without any reference material post his helicopter ride, is truly remarkable.[\/hidden-answer]<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1292005506351574128\/embed\" width=\"1088\" height=\"637\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" aria-label=\"Memory Practice\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/section>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","rendered":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\">\n<ul>\n<li>Explain how sensory information is encoded into memory<\/li>\n<li>Describe the three stages of memory storage<\/li>\n<li>Understand the difference between implicit and explicit memory and semantic and episodic memory<\/li>\n<li>Explain retrieval cues and the three types of retrieval<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h3>Awe-Inspiring Memory<\/h3>\n<p>Examples of people with eidetic memory or photographic memory are rare, but here is one person you should know: Stephen Wiltshire. Stephen is a British architectural artist and autistic savant. He is known for his ability to draw an accurate and detailed landscape from memory after seeing it just once. He learned to speak at the age of nine, and at the age of ten began drawing detailed sketches of London landmarks. His work has gained worldwide popularity. He frequently draws entire cities from memory, based on single, brief helicopter rides. His nineteen-foot-long drawing of 305 square miles of New York City is based on a twenty-minute helicopter ride.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox watchIt\">Watch this video to see some of Stephen&#8217;s work:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"This Artist Draws Detailed Cityscapes Entirely From Memory\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LrgbDXtt4UQ?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can view the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+Psych\/This+Artist+Draws+Detailed+Cityscapes+Entirely+From+Memory.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \u201cThis Artist Draws Detailed Cityscapes Entirely From Memory\u201d here (opens in new window).<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\">\n<div class=\"group w-full text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-100 border-b border-black\/10 dark:border-gray-900\/50 dark:bg-gray-800\">\n<div class=\"flex p-4 gap-4 text-base md:gap-6 md:max-w-2xl lg:max-w-[38rem] xl:max-w-3xl md:py-6 lg:px-0 m-auto\">\n<div class=\"relative flex w-[calc(100%-50px)] flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3 lg:w-[calc(100%-115px)]\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-grow flex-col gap-3\">\n<div class=\"min-h-[20px] flex items-start overflow-x-auto whitespace-pre-wrap break-words flex-col gap-4\">\n<div class=\"empty:hidden\">How did Stephen create his drawings? What is unique about his process?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex justify-between lg:block\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Public Sans', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><button class=\"show-answer show-answer-button collapsed\" data-target=\"q906331\">Show Answer<\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group w-full text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-100 border-b border-black\/10 dark:border-gray-900\/50 bg-gray-50 dark:bg-[#444654]\">\n<div class=\"flex p-4 gap-4 text-base md:gap-6 md:max-w-2xl lg:max-w-[38rem] xl:max-w-3xl md:py-6 lg:px-0 m-auto\">\n<div class=\"relative flex w-[calc(100%-50px)] flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3 lg:w-[calc(100%-115px)]\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-grow flex-col gap-3\">\n<div class=\"min-h-[20px] flex items-start overflow-x-auto whitespace-pre-wrap break-words flex-col gap-4\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<div id=\"q906331\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">Stephen creates his intricate cityscape drawings entirely from memory. His unique process involves taking a helicopter ride over the city he intends to draw, during which he carefully observes and memorizes the panorama. After this brief observation, he proceeds to draw highly accurate and detailed images of the cityscape, including tall buildings, skylines, and street scenes, all from his memory. What sets Stephen&#8217;s process apart is his incredible ability to retain and recall a vast amount of visual detail from a single viewing experience, a skill often associated with his autism. The level of precision and intricacy in his drawings, achieved without any reference material post his helicopter ride, is truly remarkable.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1292005506351574128\/embed\" width=\"1088\" height=\"637\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" aria-label=\"Memory Practice\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"menu_order":8,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Stephen Wiltshire\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Wikipedia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stephen_Wiltshire\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"This Artist Draws Detailed Cityscapes Entirely From Memory\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Great Big Story\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LrgbDXtt4UQ\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"other\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"How Memory Functions: Apply It\",\"author\":\"Sonja Ann Miller for Lumen Learning\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":628,"module-header":"apply_it","content_attributions":[{"type":"cc","description":"Stephen Wiltshire","author":"","organization":"Wikipedia","url":"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stephen_Wiltshire","project":"","license":"cc-by-sa","license_terms":""},{"type":"copyrighted_video","description":"This Artist Draws Detailed Cityscapes Entirely From Memory","author":"","organization":"Great Big Story","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LrgbDXtt4UQ","project":"","license":"other","license_terms":"Standard YouTube License"},{"type":"cc","description":"How Memory Functions: Apply It","author":"Sonja Ann Miller for Lumen Learning","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""}],"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/490"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7234,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/490\/revisions\/7234"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/628"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/490\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=490"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=490"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}