Dissociative experiences are related to commissions in emotional memory

Candel, Ingrid; Merckelbach, Harald; Kuijpers, M.

doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(03)00016-0

Cited by 48 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This finding of memory error concurs with other findings linking dissociation and commission errors (e.g., Candel, Merkelbach, & Kuijpers, 2003;Clancy, Schacter, McNally, & Pitman, 2000); impaired cognitive efficiency due to lack of attentional control and absentmindedness may contribute to this tendency for commission errors in dissociative individuals (Giesbrecht & Merckelbach, 2006;Merkelbach, Muris, Rassin, & Horselenberg, 2000). Heightened dual-tasking abilities and distractibility on focused tasks among high dissociators, such as found by DePrince and Freyd (1999), have also been found to not be a likely explanation Note.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Dissociative Tendencies and Memory Performance on Directed-Forgetting Tasks

et al. 2007

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ABSTRACT-The current article presents two studies that aimed to replicate Freyd's (2001, 2004) studies demonstrating that high and low dissociators differentially recall neutral and trauma words under conditions of varying cognitive load. We did not find this effect. This lack of replication was apparent for both free recall and word recognition memory and in both studies. In effect, we found little evidence to support betrayal trauma theory, yet observed increased memory fallibility, as demonstrated by lower general recall and (in one study) commission errors, in high dissociators.It has been claimed that individuals who report childhood sexual assault (CSA) are at increased risk of adopting a dissociative coping style (Spiegel, 1997), have increased difficulty remembering trauma (DePrince & Freyd, 1999), and have increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Implicit to this line of argument is the assumption that cognitive mechanisms of memory and attention are implicated in the tendency to dissociate (Freyd, Martorello, Alvarado, Hayes, & Christman, 1998;Freyd et al., 2005). Accordingly, McNally, Metzger, Lasko, Clancy, and Pitman (1998) used a directed-forgetting task to study possible memory differences among adult survivors of CSA with and without subsequent PTSD and control subjects without a history of abuse. Although the PTSD group scored significantly higher than the other two groups on a measure of dissociative tendencies, this group did not differ on memory for trauma-related words following remember or forget instructions. However, compared with the other two groups, this group did display a deficit in memory for positive and neutral words following remember instructions. McNally et al. suggested that this latter effect was due to a general attentional bias for trauma-related material in people with PTSD.However, Freyd (1994) had reconceptualized the cognitive underpinnings of memory frailty as being related to degree of dissociation, rather than PTSD. As part of her betrayal trauma theory, Freyd suggested that sexual abuse by a caregiver places a cognitive burden on the resources of the victim: On the one hand, the victim resents the trauma of abuse, yet on the other hand, the victim has to rely on the abuser for care. Freyd theorized that the resulting conflict is resolved by the victim learning to dissociate from the memory of the abuse.Subsequently, DePrince and Freyd (2001) argued that a moderate degree of cognitive load would facilitate a memory effect whereby high and low dissociators exhibit differential memory for trauma words relative to neutral words. Using a directed-forgetting task, they examined the performance of high and low dissociators in a sample of students. The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) was used to classify subjects as low (score of 10 or below) or high (score of 20 or higher) dissociators. The subjects viewed trauma, neutral, and positive words under three different attention conditions: selective attention (low difficulty), divided attention...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Dissociative Tendencies and Memory Performance on Directed-Forgetting Tasks

et al. 2007

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“…In contrast, recall tasks require intensive use of source monitoring processes. Interestingly, Candel et al (2003) found that individuals high on DES displayed more commission errors (i.e. false alarms) in a free recall task.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heaps & Nash, 1999;Paddock et al, 1999). However, with a few exceptions (Candel, Merckelbach, & Kuijpers, 2003;Rassin et al, 2001), little work has been done on spontaneous pseudo-memories and the personality characteristics that might be involved in such memories. The current study relied on the Barclay and Wellman (1986) paradigm to evaluate the contribution of fantasy proneness, dissociation, absorption, suggestibility, and depression to the occurrence of spontaneous pseudo-memories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual differences in the accuracy of autobiographical memory

Horselenberg

Merckelbach

Breukelen

et al. 2004

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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In recent literature on 'false memories', autobiographical memory distortions are often linked to manipulations such as hypnosis or imagination. However, Barclay and Wellman (1986) demonstrated that such distortions might also occur more or less spontaneously. The current study sought to replicate this phenomenon. In addition, it examined whether certain personality traits, (i.e. fantasy proneness, dissociation, absorption, suggestibility and depression) might contribute to such spontaneous pseudo-memories. Volunteers (N = 38) kept a diary of self-selected, outstanding events for a 2-week period. Six months later, they were unexpectedly given a recognition test consisting of original memories and several types of foils. Participants performed relatively well on the recognition task, although they had some difficulties differentiating original items from foil items. Curiously enough, fantasy proneness was related to superior recognition performance.

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“…As such, individuals who score high on measures of dissociation may display differential responding on measures of traumatic stress (e.g., Cardena and Spiegel 1993). For example, Candel et al (2003) found that undergraduates high in dissociation tended to report over-generalized memories and exaggerated symptoms relative to those who scored low in dissociation. Titchenor et al (1996) found that individuals who scored high in dissociation endorsed more symptoms of PTSD.…”

Section: Individual Differences In Malingeringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Motivations for Malingering Matter? Symptoms of Malingered PTSD as a Function of Motivation and Trauma Type

Peace

Masliuk

2011

Psychol. Inj. and Law

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Psychological disorders associated with traumatic events, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may be prone to malingering due to the subjective nature of trauma symptomology. In general, symptoms tend to be inflated when an external reward (i.e., compensation) is associated with the claim. The present study was designed to test whether malingered claims of PTSD symptoms differed as a function of the type of trauma being malingered (accident, disaster, sexual assault) and the motivation for malingering (compensation, attention, revenge, no motivation). Participants were randomly assigned into conditions, given malingering instructions, and then asked to complete three measures of trauma symptoms (Impact of Event Scale-Revised; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist; Trauma Symptom Inventory). Results indicated that participants in the sexual assault condition produced higher symptom reports on nearly all scales. Revenge and compensation motivations yielded elevated symptom scores. Further, individuals rated high in fantasy proneness and dissociation produced elevated scores on atypical responding and most clinical scales. More research is needed to examine the extent to which different motivations and trauma types influence symptom reporting.

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Dissociative experiences are related to commissions in emotional memory

Cited by 48 publications

References 22 publications

Dissociative Tendencies and Memory Performance on Directed-Forgetting Tasks

Dissociative Tendencies and Memory Performance on Directed-Forgetting Tasks

Individual differences in the accuracy of autobiographical memory

Do Motivations for Malingering Matter? Symptoms of Malingered PTSD as a Function of Motivation and Trauma Type

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