Strange-face-in-the-mirror illusions: specific effects on derealization, depersonalization, and dissociative identity

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Perception

Background:

• Anomalous strange-face illusions (SFIs) occur during mirror gazing under low light.
• Previous studies focused on perceived facial changes, unlike the current gaze-fixation approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate dissociative experiences and facial feature changes during a mirror gazing task (MGT).
• To measure eye-blink rates and subjective reports of derealization, depersonalization, and dissociative identity.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one participants performed a mirror gazing task (MGT) and a control panel-fixation task.
• Eye-blink rates were recorded, and the Revised Strange-Face Questionnaire (SFQ-R) assessed derealization (FD), depersonalization (BD), and dissociative identity (DI).

Main Results:

• Mirror-fixation significantly increased FD, BD, and DI scores compared to panel-fixation.
• Facial feature fading specific to MGT was observed, distinct from Troxler's or Brewster's fading.
• Negative correlation between eye-blink rates and FD scores in MGT; females showed more derealization, males more compartmentalization.

Conclusions:

• The MGT effectively induces face-specific dissociation (FD, BD, DI), measurable by SFQ-R.
• MGT and panel-fixation may aid in differentiating schizophrenia from dissociative identity disorder.