Procedural memory in dissociative identity disorder: when can inter-identity amnesia be truly established?
In a serial reaction time task, procedural memory was examined in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Thirty-one DID patients were tested for inter-identity transfer of procedural learning and their memory performance was compared with 25 normal controls and 25 controls instructed to simulate DID. Results of patients seemed to indicate a pattern of inter-identity amnesia. Simulators, however, were able to mimic a pattern of inter-identity amnesia, rendering the results of patients impossible to interpret as either a pattern of amnesia or a pattern of simulation. It is argued that studies not including DID-simulators or simulation-free memory tasks, should not be taken as evidence for (or against) amnesia in DID.
Huntjens
Rafaële J C
RJ
Department of Clinical Psychology, Research Institute for Psychology and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands. R.Huntjens@fss.uu.nl
Postma
Albert
A
Woertman
Liesbeth
L
van der Hart
Onno
O
Peters
Madelon L
ML
D000647:Amnesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory; D011930:Reaction Time; D012720:Severity of Illness Index