Ml. Eisen et Eb. Carlson, Individual differences in suggestibility: Examining the influence of dissociation, absorption, and a history of childhood abuse, APPL COGN P, 12, 1998, pp. S47-S61
This study examined how individual differences in dissociation, absorption
and a history of abuse are related to memory and suggestibility for the det
ails of a personally experienced, known event. One hundred and thirty colle
ge students took part in a staged event and completed the Dissociative Expe
riences Scale (DES), the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS), and questions abo
ut each participant's history of childhood abuse. One week after the staged
event and initial testing, the students were questioned about the event. D
issociation and absorption were significantly related to errors on misleadi
ng questions but unrelated to errors on specific (non-misleading) questions
. Reports of a history of child abuse were also related to dissociation and
absorption but were generally unrelated to event memory or resistance to m
isleading information. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.