The present studies investigated the memory retention of words and its relationship to sleep. The studies involved 4 college students and the first study followed a series of longitudinal within-subjects correlational assessments of hypotheses relating overnight memory retention to the following three other variables: hippocampal changes during sleep, quality of sleep, and quantity of sleep. After finding the highest correlation between quantity of sleep and memory retention, the causal relationship between these two variables was further experimentally tested. Sleep quantity was manipulated by randomly assigning each day across a two-week period to one of two possible conditions: a day with a 3-hour nap versus a day with no naps. The results of the experiment supported the hypothesis that increases in the amount of sleep result in a greater memory retention. These results are of importance for college students in maintaining a healthier academic profile and suggest that greater memory retention is capable by having adequate sleep.
This paper examines Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and how it is potentially rooted in childhood experience. The paper provides an analysis of the characteristics of DID and the history of the diagnosis as well as current conceptualizations of the disorder. The paper explores current understandings of the causes of the disorder and highlights various findings that indicate the potential role of childhood experiences and trauma in DID. Reasons for linking DID with childhood experiences are discussed; these include the long-lasting effects of trauma that occurs during the developmental stage of childhood. The paper also analyzes the comorbidity of Dissociative Disorders with other psychological and/or health conditions. Integrative treatment that addresses the complexity and the rarity of the DID is also reviewed. The paper concludes with an understanding of DID as being significantly connected to early traumatic experiences that may interact with potential biological vulnerability and/or the individual’s social environment. The analysis calls for further research into DID.
