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intro.psych (Psyco 105) Discussion: Group 1 Discussion Group: Reading the Research-DID: Can the results be generalized beyond the context of the study?
By Admin on Thursday, November 12, 1998 - 10:40 am:
In particular, can we learn anything about normal memory by studying memory in clinical populations? Why or why not?
I don't think that much can be learnt from the tests in the clinical populations simply because if it is not exactly clear what the cause of an illness is how do we know that it doesn't affect memory as well? So if we are testing someone with an illness and discover how their memory works who is to say that it is the same as someone who is "normal" because the memory may be "impaired" or not even similar to others memories.
I think that by studying memory in clinical populations it can help us to understand the memory of all individuals. We may not get clear answers for certain questions about "normal" memory but by looking at different research conclusions, we can string together certain hypothesis about memory in general.
Yes, I guess that makes sense, that by connecting all results from various experiments to find out connecting information to generalize what "may" be. I think it definetly would beneficial to find out why and how the memory was impaired. If the circumstances that caused the memory change was psychological, I think that it may be able to be reversed or at least improved with help from a professional, through therapy or whatever means may be needed.
I've heard that experiencing tramatic events can affect the way your brain processes information and that it trama can actually do damage to the neurons and also affect brain chemistry. If this is true, maybe it could help the researchers explain why the subjects could remember pictures between personalities better than remembering words.
No summary is needed, just marking the discussion, who knows what happened to Mike, he hasn't posted at all on this topic.
But the person in the research is looking at pictures that probably don't trigger a tramatic memory. I thought that the authors of the research paper persented something very interesting when they asked the question, "can memory abilities and impairments manifested by DID patients be reproduced by normal subjects attempting multiplicity?" It was mentioned that people who have DID are easily hypnotized. Perhaps it is all about different levels of consciousnes that all of us would be able to explore if we worked at it. The thought crossed my mind (althought this is more spiritual than scientific) that maybe the other personalities are actually personalities from past lives that people with DID are able to access because of trama they have experienced. This could explain why they seem to have previously determined names for their personalities. Just a though
It that were to be true so to speak (past lives), the part about different levels of consciousness would be true to I think.
This discussion is for marks.
Back to the Results
By Jep on Sunday, November 22, 1998 - 10:07 pm:
By Ivanka on Monday, November 23, 1998 - 10:29 am:
If, like Jep said, the memory is impaired in some way, it might be useful to try determing why the memory became impaired. What were the circumstances that caused a typical functioning memory to change?
No one set of research results can produce clear and final answers. Instead, we have to put many pieces of information together like a puzzle to give us a clue about how things wor
By Jep on Monday, November 23, 1998 - 11:59 am:
By Ivanka on Tuesday, November 24, 1998 - 08:05 pm:
Did I miss something? What happened to Mike? Who's summary?
By Jep on Tuesday, November 24, 1998 - 10:38 pm:
That makes alot of sense that the trauma would be remembered more in images and blocked out, rather than the words. But that wouldn't make sense then if the individual didn't want to remember the pictures of trauma, wouldn't the other personalities block most pictures so the brain doesn't even have to use the part of the brain that recalls pictures? I don't know maybe I am crazy and missing something, but that is how I would look at it.
By Ivanka on Wednesday, November 25, 1998 - 10:56 am:
By Jep on Wednesday, November 25, 1998 - 11:27 am:
That would make sense that the pictures don't necessarily trigger the trauma.
I don't know if you could actually fake the knowledge of each memories. You could definately cover it up though, but you would have to be pretty smart and have a sharp mind. Because you would have to be able to out smart yourself, and just be on the ball all the time. Because of course appendix will be the first word to come to mind if it has been preconditioned and they ask for a word that starts with app- So if the idividual is able to keep on top of what is being asked of them they could "fake" it, I think. My moto is anything is possible, and this may give me bizzar ideas.