Transfer of Episodic Self-Referential Memory Across Amnesic Identities inDissociative Identity Disorder Using the Autobiographical ImplicitAssociation Test

• Published in: Journal of abnormal psychology (1965) Vol. 127; no. 8; p. 751
• Main Authors: Marsh, Rosemary J, Dorahy, Martin J, Verschuere, Bruno, Butler, Chandele, Middleton, Warwick, Huntjens, Rafaële J C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington American Psychological Association 01-11-2018
• Subjects: Abnormal psychology; Amnesia; Behavioral psychology; Consciousness; Dissociative identity disorder; Identity; Implicit beliefs; Memories; Memory; Mental disorders; Psychological tests; Tests
• ISSN: 2769-7541; 2769-755X

Individuals with dissociative identity disorder (DID) often report having no access to autobiographical experiences encoded by other identities. This research used the autobiographical Implicit Association Test (aIAT) to determine whether there was transfer of episodic self-referential memory events across amnesic identities. Nineteen DID individuals, 16 DID simulators, and 41 comparison participants (divided into amnesic and nonamnesic groups) engaged with an audio vignette of embarrassing scenarios to produce the experience of episodic self-referential events. Results showed transfer of episodic self-referential memory using the aIAT across identities that reported no conscious awareness of encoded content in DID. These aIAT results in DID patients were similar to the nonamnesic comparison group and the simulator group, and differed from the amnestic comparison group. These results are in line with previous literature showing transfer of memories, but extends this work to episodic self-referential memory.