Forgetting the unforgotten affective autobiographical memories in nonclinical dissociators.

Abstract

Inefficient memory inhibition has been observed in nonclinical and clinical dissociators. Paradoxically, dissociators also report unusual forgetfulness. Investigating how forgetting emerges in dissociators may uncover the antecedents for their self-report memory problems. We postulated that set switch can link inefficient memory inhibition to forgetting. Recollection detour, which involves an affect switch, may elicit forgetting of previously uninhibited memories in nonclinical dissociators. This hypothesis was verified in participants with high- and low-dissociation proneness via a retrieval practice paradigm using positive and negative autobiographical memories. After the study and retrieval-practice phases, memories of the practiced affect category were tested without and with intervening recall of the unpracticed affect category in the control and detour condition, respectively. Nondissociators showed reduced recall in the control condition, replicating the retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) effect and recollection detour did not alter the RIF effect. By contrast, nonclinical dissociators showed the RIF effect in the detour condition but not in the control condition. Detour to recollecting memories of another affect category rendered an aftereffect of forgetting of previously uninhibited memories in nonclinical dissociators.

Misattributing the Source of Self-Generated Representations Related to Dissociative and Psychotic Symptoms

“…This finding is inconsistent with the belief that early trauma may be the major cause of the altered sense of individuality in dissociation (van der Hart and Witztum, 2008 ; Markowitsch and Staniloiu, 2011 ). In fact, similar findings have been reported in studies of atypical executive controls in nonclinical dissociative individuals (DePrince et al, 2008 ; Chiu et al, 2010 , 2012a ). Together with laboratory studies, a set of aberrant neurocognitive functions including self-relevant sociocognitive functions and executive controls may be characteristics of dissociation.…”

“…Past laboratory studies conceptualized dissociative amnesia as a consequence of voluntary avoidance, postulating that memory suppression may be a neurocognitive mechanism of dissociators' forgetfulness (Anderson and Green, 2001 ). However, empirical evidence does not support this contention (McNally et al, 2001 ; Elzinga et al, 2003 ; Chiu et al, 2010 , 2012a ). It is plausible that memorized items are retained rather than suppressed.…”

“…In contrast, source misattribution may be a sociocognitive endophenotype of dissociation proneness. It has been shown that traumatic experiences do not account for the atypical cognitive functions in nonclinical dissociators (DePrince et al, 2008 ; Chiu et al, 2010 , 2012a ). Traumatic experiences may therefore not account for the association of source misattribution with dissociative symptoms.…”

Dissociation in borderline personality disorder: Disturbed cognitive and emotional inhibition and its neural correlates

“…Our findings are in line with studies examining nonclinical participants with dissociation proneness and also studies examining clinical participants with a dissociative disorder, which suggests that these populations are less efficient in suppressing both emotional and non-emotional distracting material (Freyd et al, 1998;DePrince and Freyd, 1999;Elzinga et al, 2000;Elzinga et al, 2003;Chiu et al, 2010;Chiu et al, 2012). In the current study, after dissociation induction, BPD patients showed reduced activity in the fusiform gyrus, which has been shown to be involved in colour processing (Beauchamp et al, 1999;Chao and Martin, 1999;Kellenbach et al, 2001) and word recognition (Nobre et al, 1994;Pammer et al, 2004;Binder et al, 2006), among others.…”

Switch Function and Pathological Dissociation in Acute Psychiatric Inpatients

“…Non-clinical dissociators showed superior abilities in dividing attention ([ 17 – 19 ]; but also see [ 20 , 21 ] for failures to replicate the finding) and updating information in working memory [ 22 ]. Non-clinical dissociators showed ineffective inhibition about suppressing target-related competitors [ 23 , 24 ], task-irrelevant distractors [ 25 ] and unwanted mental representations ([ 26 ]; but also see [ 20 , 21 , 27 – 30 ] for the absence of a dissociation effect on the standard directed forgetting effect and the thought suppression effect). A study using a non-clinical sample also showed that individuals with high dissociation proneness are faster in intra-dimensional switching compared with individuals who display either low or medium dissociation proneness [ 31 ].…”