Knowledge of one's traits and personal recollections of specific events inv
olving those traits are assumed to reflect the operations of two distinct,
neurally dissociable types of memory: Semantic personal memory and episodic
personal memory (e.g., Conway, 1992; Klein, Loftus, & Kihlstrom, 1996; Tul
ving, 1993b). The present study offers support for this conclusion by exami
ning the semantic and episodic self-knowledge of RJ., a high-functioning au
tistic individual. R.J. was found to have accurate knowledge of his traits,
despite severely limited access to the personal experiences on which that
knowledge was based. We discuss the implications of this finding for theori
es of both normal and autistic memory, and we speculate about the ability o
f persons with autism to reflect on aspects of the self.