False memory susceptibility in coma survivors with and without a near-death experience

Martial, Charlotte; Charland‐Verville, Vanessa; Dehon, Hedwige; Laureys, Steven

doi:10.1007/s00426-017-0855-9

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Similarly, an important question is why some individuals experience NDEs-like phenomena, when others do not, although they have been exposed to physiological and/or psychological conditions that are known to be associated with NDEs-like (e.g., meditation, syncope). People reporting “classical” NDEs (i.e., with a context of a life-threatening situation) do not seem to show any deficits in global cognitive functioning (21), but Martial et al (23) observed less optimal source monitoring abilities and heightened illusory recollections in this population. In addition, Greyson (24) found that experiencers report more dissociative symptoms than people who had come close to death without subsequently developing NDEs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Fantasy Proneness Correlates With the Intensity of Near-Death Experience

et al. 2018

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Little is known about the personality characteristics of those who have experienced a “Near-Death Experience” (NDE). One interesting candidate is fantasy proneness. We studied this trait in individuals who developed NDEs in the presence (i.e., classical NDEs) or absence (i.e., NDEs-like) of a life-threatening situation. We surveyed a total of 228 individuals. From those, 108 qualified as NDE experiencers (i.e., Greyson NDE scale total score ≥7): 51 had their NDEs in the context of a life-threatening situation; 57 had their NDEs not related to a life-threatening situation. From those who did not meet the criteria to be considered “experiencers,” 20 had their NDE in the absence of a life-threatening situation; 50 had faced death but did not recall a NDE and finally, 50 were healthy people without a history of life threat and/or NDE. All participants completed a measure of NDE intensity (the Greyson NDE scale) and a measure of fantasy proneness (the Creative Experiences Questionnaire). People reporting NDEs-like scored higher on fantasy proneness than those reporting classical NDEs, individuals whose experiences did not meet the NDE criteria and matched controls. By contrast, individuals reporting classical NDEs did not show different engagement in fantasy as matched controls. The reported intensity of the experiences was positively correlated with engagement in fantasy. Our findings support the view that strong engagement in fantasy by individuals recalling NDEs-like might make these persons more likely to report such subjective experiences when exposed to suitable physiological and/or psychological conditions (e.g., meditation, syncope).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Fantasy Proneness Correlates With the Intensity of Near-Death Experience

et al. 2018

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“…It should also be pointed out that the time that has elapsed since the NDEs was relatively long and may have introduced inaccuracies in participants' recall of their experiences. Although the experience was subsequently recalled with vividness and details (Martial et al, 2017a;Moore & Greyson, 2017;Thonnard et al, 2013), several factors may have influenced memory accuracy such as memory performance and personality traits (Martial et al, 2017c;Martial et al, 2018). In addition, no study has assessed the psychometric properties of the French version of the NDE scale used in Study 1.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale: Development and psychometric validation

Martial

Simon

Puttaert

et al. 2020

Consciousness and Cognition

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As interest grows in near-death experiences (NDEs), it is increasingly important to accurately identify them to facilitate empirical research and reproducibility among assessors. We aimed (1) to reassess the psychometric properties of the NDE scale developed by Greyson (1983) and ( 2) to validate the Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale that quantifies NDEs in a more complete way. Internal consistency, construct and concurrent validity analyses were performed on the NDE scale. Based on those results and the most recent empirical evidence, we then developed a new 20-item scale. Internal consistency, explanatory and confirmatory factor, concurrent and discriminant validity analyses were conducted. Results revealed (1) a series of weaknesses in the NDE scale, (2) a 5-factor structure covering relevant dimensions and the very good psychometric properties of the NDE-C scale, including very good internal consistency (Cronbach α=0.85) and concurrent validity (correlations above 0.76). This new reliable scale should facilitate future research.

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“…Besides, human memory is by definition a reconstructive process (Schacter et al, 1998) sensitive to numerous factors such as aging (e.g., Devitt et al, 2017); therefore, the generalizability of our results could also be impacted by the fact that all memories are drawn from a homogenous pool of NDErs. To address this issue, it would be interesting to assess autobiographical and flashbulb memories in healthy controls and to further explore the cognitive processes specific to NDErs, especially since previous studies suggest a specific cognitive profile, including a propensity for dissociation (Greyson, 2000a) and illusory recollections (Martial et al, 2017c). In the present study, we did not control for the production of false memories and the subjective feeling of remembering that may accompany false remembering (i.e., illusory recollection).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%