PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Research Article MEMORY, AMNESIA, AND DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER Eric ich,’ Dawn Macaulay,! Richard J. Loewenstein,” and Patrice H. Dihle® "University of British Columbia: *Dissocitve Disorders Service Line, Sheppard-Pran Hospital, Baltnore, Maryiand: and "Way Station, Frederick, Maryland Abstract—Virwaily allpatints wih dissociative identty(or maliple ‘personality disorder manifest inerpersonalty annesi, whereby events experienced by a paricular personality state or identity are rariesable by that same idensy but not by « diferent ene, Though ‘considered « hallmark of disociaive identity disorder (DID), intr personality amnesia has to date ctracied lisle empirical attention. Further, the few studies on the topic npleaily etude just 1 DID patient and a single index of retention. In contra, the current ex periment involved 9 DID patient: and several measur of ether ‘expliciiorinpicitmemors. Replicating and extending the single-case sdy of Nissen, Ross, Willingham, MacKensi, and Schacir (1988), the prevent results reveled that implicit esting is a necessary but not ‘sufficient condition for demonstrating tramser of information from ‘one identity 0 another. Specfcaly, whereas priming in word-stem ‘completion eccurred ony if the same personality sate performed ot ‘both sud and at est priming in picture,fragment completion was as robust berwcen diferent identities as it was within the same ident. Discussion focuses on prospects for future rezearch almed at under “sandirg the nature and scope of berpersonality arnesia. Dissociative identity ditonter (DID), formerly naltiple person 14.23, 78 < (0), Though itis suprising thatthe patients remembered anything at all in the later conditions (given tht their personality sates were ‘supposed ta be muteally mesic), he fact that sever ofthe patients [ze responses to most or all ofthe word-sem cues suggests thatthe low (but nonzeco) level of recall performance cbserved i the der ‘entidentty conditions reflects fortuitous guessing, rather than gent ine recollection Stem Completion Mean percentages of target items produced in the implicit test of ‘word-stem completion appear on the right side of Figure I. There was 4 significant effect of stdyfest identity combination (FI2. 16) = 4.15, p < 08), with mow targets being given as stem completions ‘whan study and tit identities remained constant than when they changed (FU, 8] = 2800, p < 01), Thre was no appreciable di ference a peiormance between the two differentidenity condions (F 1), snd inneither ofthese conditions did the percentage of targets elicited ss ster completions exceed the normatvely denved (Gat & Wiliams, 1987) baseline level of 8%, (8) < 1.82, ps> 10. Thus, the ‘present sample of 9 patients, like the single ease epoted by Nissen et al 19RW, showed significant priming within bu not between identity sas in atest of word-iem completion, Picture-Fragment Completion Mean score for picture fagment completior are ilustrated in Fig ure 2 asa function of stodytst identity combination and trial (Trial { eoresponds wo the ftsime a given set of objets was idee by citer Pl or P2, and Trial represents the second time the same set of ‘objects vas identified by either the same or te alternative persoality State), Owing to either time constraints or tectncal problems, ? pa- tients were unable to complete picturesragment testing: this the results reflect a sample of 7 subjects ‘A 2x3 repeated measures analysis revealed evidence of repetition prining: Having identified « given object on Trial 1, the patents ‘needed t ee significantly less pictorial etl inorder to do so again fon Trial 2, F(1,6) = 75387, p <.O1. There was a0 appreciable impact ‘of tudytest identity combination, either alone or in combisaton with m Tal tm Trad] © am Pups Pup Pat Study/Testidentity Fig. 2, Mean scores for picture-fragment completion as fanction of stayed idestity combination and tal VOL. 8, NO. 6, NOVEMBER 1997PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, E. Bich et al ial (F2,12]< 1.01, ps> 10) suggesting that priming was as seong between diferent personality sates (P1/P2 or P/PL) as it was within the same state (PLDI). It should be noced that during P1's fin segment of testing i.e. Phase 4), the average completion score for brand-new objects was 6.09—about the same as PI's mean score (5.4) ducing te inal segment of testing (Le. Phase 2). Thus, PL enhanced ability to identfy objects that had been identified before ‘whether by Pl or ty P2) represents a true priming eifect, and is not sinply arefletion of PI becoming more apt atthe task as a result ‘of prior practic. DISCUSSION Considered collectively, the present results winforee what Nasen| ta. (1988) climes Testing memory implicitly is a mcessry but not 4 sufficient condiden tor demonstrating tanster of information from ‘one personality state to another. Like Nisten and her asocites, we ‘saw evidence of inerperionality priming ina text (lcture-fragment ‘completin) that is stonely data driven, that allows for oaly one correct response, ard that leaves litle room for idertity-specifc i lerpetve processes to operate In contra, we saw no evidence of interpersonality’prining in an implicit test (word-stem completion) thal permit wide range of sesponses whose selection nay vaty frat ‘ne identity tthe next. Tr shor, i seems that although the distinction between explicit and implicit memory is useful in usdersunding i terpersorality amnesia, it does not completely capture the essence of the phenomenon, Instead, it appears that how much leakage occurs across personality sates depends on the extent o which encoding and reuievalproceses ae susceptible to personaliy-speciic factors. Earlier we remarked that DID has alwaye been x controves ‘corcept, though never more so Uaan today, I could hardly be othe ‘wise, frit is only natural to wonder whether and how so anata 3 ‘cordtion as DID ceuld possibly be real. Our sty does net speak to the reality of DID, nor was it meant to. Sill the results suggest mat, Whatever else is involved in DID, interpersonslity amnesia is more than simply a matter of deliberate response suppression, Were the the case, no test of retntion—incuding piture-fegmert completion — Would hive revealed evicence of leskage across personality states. In addition to replicating and extending the results of Nissen ta (1988), te present study suggests several ining issues for future research. For Ista, is the pauern of memory performance tha We observed specific toDID, or would itemerge in connection wth ther psychiatric conditions as well? Mote specifically, co patents with bipolar affective illess Siow priming in data-driven but not covcep- ‘wally driven implicit tests when they sift fom mania into depression (oe vice versal, much as our DID gatiens did when they switched between their altemate identities (se Eich, Macaulay, & Lan, in pres)? Also, can the memory abilities andimpairmens marifested by DID patients te reproduced by normal subjects attempting to mimic ‘muluplity (se Eich, Macaulay, Loewenstein & Dike, in press)? ‘And given that the distinction between explicit and implicit memory oes not fully capture the crux of interpersonality amnesia, wha other theoretical corcepts can be brought to bear on the phenomenon? Is it ‘the case, for example, that a switch between personality sates stec- tively disrupts intentional as opposed to automatic ees of memory ‘see Jacoby, Lindsay, & Toth, 1992)? Answer to these and related ‘questions would enhance enderstanding of DID in general and inter- personality amnesia in particu. VOL. 8, NO, 6, NOVEMBER 1907 ‘Acknowledgments This ancl in based on an ave adres by he is ‘author athe NATO Advarced StadyIstisteon Recollecions of Trauna, {eld in June 1096 w Talnont Sint Hae (Pot de Rowena), France PPeparaion ofthe paper vas sided by Grant MH48502 from the Nao lesa of Mtl Heal and bythe advice sven by Bok Bs, Jemfer Comptel, DimivtPapsgergs, Jack Ractian, fim Rasel, Deborh Sind, ant Tom Wickes, REFERENCES Aner yc Aetna od tiie mal of mel “duos (od ev). Wang, DE Autor Amen chin Aseria (98) gr nd atin! maa of ma “duo fan ed) Washnpon OC As Sensei EM, Pam, F198). 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Baan. 8 Pt RM (986, Tein anPSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE ‘Memory, Amresia, and Dissociative Identity Disorder | roraeyetomiet gage Rosettes tor | sonia ot: Aum Py Reet HL (159) ng memory Reeion wiht embeing, Americ Py | Spalpes 1(18)Saces of aig ne pcre agent conpeton as IS Roots & MeDemoe, KB. (1898). apiit ema n oem bunan sacs (Gp. 29.290) tide NI-Eehwur In Bolle & J Grin (Et), Hosbok of navopicaery (V0.8. | Soalyas. 1G. & Corin 98) Recep detiaton tesa fer 150g Sab} Anse Heer nei pares om th Sng snd Vana pre se Povey Row CA. Heber 8: Neon GR Andon D. 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