Impaired memory for cooperative interaction partners in borderline personality disorder
- PMID: 33014377
- PMCID: PMC7528496
- DOI: 10.1186/s40479-020-00137-3
Impaired memory for cooperative interaction partners in borderline personality disorder
Abstract
Background: Interpersonal disturbances in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) have been attributed to a negativity bias in social cognition. Adding to this literature, we experimentally tested whether those with BPD show altered memory for cooperative versus non-cooperative interaction partners.
Methods: In a source memory paradigm, 51 female BPD patients and 50 healthy controls (HC) played a trust game with 40 different female target characters (trustworthy vs untrustworthy). In a subsequent surprise memory test, participants had to recognize those target individuals (vs distractor pictures), and had to recall whether they had shown cooperative behavior during the trust game. We hypothesized that BPD patients have better memory for uncooperative interaction partners as compared to cooperative interaction partners, and that a-priori expectations of untrustworthiness would influence recall.
Results: During the trust game, BPD individuals invested lower amounts of money than HC for trustworthy targets, but no differences were found for untrustworthy targets. During the memory test, BPD patients had significant difficulties to remember cooperative targets, as compared to HC. More specifically, those with BPD indicated more often than HC that they had not previously interacted with cooperative targets of the previous trust game. We did not detect any differences between BPD and HC in source memory, or with regard to the effects of trustworthiness expectations.
Conclusions: The observed tendency to forget cooperative interaction partners in BPD is possibly caused by dysfunctional cognitive schemas. At the same time, it might also corroborate patients' assumptions that others are untrustworthy, thereby fuelling interpersonal disturbances in BPD.
Keywords: Borderline personality disorder; Cooperation; Social cognition; Source memory; Trust.
© The Author(s) 2020.
Conflict of interest statement
Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Negative evaluation of individuals with borderline personality disorder at zero acquaintance.Behav Res Ther. 2018 Dec;111:84-91. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.09.009. Epub 2018 Sep 29. Behav Res Ther. 2018. PMID: 30342222
-
Atypical Neural Plasticity and Behavioral Effects of Trustworthiness Learning in Borderline Personality Disorder Features.J Pers Disord. 2023 Oct;37(5):542-558. doi: 10.1521/pedi.2023.37.5.542. J Pers Disord. 2023. PMID: 37903017
-
Accuracy and Bias in Facial Trustworthiness Appraisals in Borderline Personality Disorder.J Pers Disord. 2023 Oct;37(5):525-541. doi: 10.1521/pedi.2023.37.5.525. J Pers Disord. 2023. PMID: 37903022
-
Social Cognition and Borderline Personality Disorder: Splitting and Trust Impairment Findings.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2018 Dec;41(4):613-632. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2018.07.003. Epub 2018 Oct 16. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2018. PMID: 30447728 Review.
-
Rationality and self-interest as economic-exchange strategy in borderline personality disorder: Game theory, social preferences, and interpersonal behavior.Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 Dec;71:849-864. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.030. Epub 2016 Nov 5. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016. PMID: 27826068 Review.
Cited by
-
Development of a Structured Interview to Explore Interpersonal Schema of Older Adults Living Alone Based on Autobiographical Memory.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 26;18(5):2316. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18052316. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021. PMID: 33652880 Free PMC article.
-
COVID-19 prevention behaviour is differentially motivated by primary psychopathy, grandiose narcissism and vulnerable Dark Triad traits.Pers Individ Dif. 2023 Apr;204:112060. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.112060. Epub 2022 Dec 27. Pers Individ Dif. 2023. PMID: 36588787 Free PMC article.
-
Cooperative decision-making in borderline personality disorder: insights from a preregistered study using a comprehensive economic task battery.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2025 Jun 17;12(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s40479-025-00295-2. Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2025. PMID: 40528240 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Gunderson JG. Disturbed relationships as a phenotype for borderline personality disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2007;164(11):1637–1640. - PubMed
-
- Brodsky BS, Groves SA, Oquendo MA, Mann JJ, Stanley B. Interpersonal precipitants and suicide attempts in borderline personality disorder. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2006;36(3):313–322. - PubMed
-
- Welch SS, Linehan MM. High-risk situations associated with parasuicide and drug use in borderline personality disorder. J Personal Disord. 2002;16(6):561–569. - PubMed
-
- McMain SF, Guimond T, Streiner DL, Cardish RJ, Links PS. Dialectical behavior therapy compared with general psychiatric management for borderline personality disorder: clinical outcomes and functioning over a 2-year follow-up. Am J Psychiatry. 2012;169(6):650–661. - PubMed
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources