dement and kleitman

Question 1

psychology being investigated

Answer 1

1. Sleep
2. Ultraradian rhythms

Question 2

background

Answer 2

-Kleitman conducted sleep research using his relatives as participants for many
years.
- In 1953, his student, Aserinsky, used an EEG to identify REM and NREM sleep.
-Kleitman and Aserinsky also found that people woken in REM are more likely to
report dreams than those woken in NREM.
-Dement and Kleitman wanted to find a reliable and objective way to measure
whether a person is dreaming, using biological evidence rather than verbal
self-reports

Question 3

Aims

Answer 3

To investigate whether dream recall is more common in REM than in NREM sleep.
2. To investigate whether participants can accurately estimate the duration of their
dreams.
3 To investigate whether eye movements (vertical/horizontal) correspond with
dream content.
4 .To investigate whether there is a correlation between the duration of a REM sleep
episode and the number of words (the narrative) used to describe any dreams
experienced

Question 3

Research method

Answer 3

experiment

Question 3

Data collection techniques

Answer 3

self report, interview

Question 4

Research technique

Answer 4

Repeated measures (aims 1-3) and correlation (aim 4)

Question 5

Independent variables

Answer 5

Whether the participant were woken:
-during REM or NREM sleep (as shown by the EEG)
-following 5 or 15 minutes of REM sleep
-following REM sleep with mainly vertical, mainly horizontal, mixed or limited eye
movements.

Question 6

Dependent variables

Answer 6

-whether a dream was reported or not (quantitative) – dream has to be described
in detail to be counted

-perceived duration of dream- participants were instead asked whether
they had been dreaming for 5 or 15 minutes (fixed/forced choice question,
quantitative data)

-verbal description of dream content/narrative (qualitative data); number of words
used (quantitative).

Question 7

Sample

Answer 7

Size: seven men, two women (five studied in depth, four to confirm results).
Demographic: from Chicago, USA

Question 8

Procedure

Answer 8

1. Participants slept in a quiet, dark room at the University of Chicago
   with electrodes placed near the eyes and on the scalp
   (wires were tied together to stop them from becoming tangled and the EEG machine was in an adjoining room.)

2.Participants were woken several times each night to self-report all the dependent variables using a bedside recording
device.

3.The researchers chose when to wake the participants using the EEG and a timer and listened to the self-reports from the adjoining room. Also they occasionally entered the sleep room to interview the participant about their dream.

Question 9

Controls

Answer 9

• Participants all:
  – abstained from alcohol and caffeine on the day of the study
  – reported to the laboratory at their normal bedtime.

The same loud doorbell was used for all awakenings.

The positioning and number of electrodes was standardised (2–3 near the eyes
and on the scalp)

Question 10

ethical issues

Answer 10

Confidentiality and privacy were maintained.
– Participants were referred to using their initials.
– Dream content was not paired with their initials

Question 11

Results

Answer 11

1. REM sleep never occurred immediately after sleep onset. All participants had regular
2. REM sleep periods throughout the night:
   - one REM period every 92 minutes (range 70–104 mins)
   - average REM sleep duration of 20 minutes (range 3–50 minutes)
   -longer REM sleep periods later in the night.
3. One participant (DN) had a lower accuracy rate of only 65 per cent:
   -He underestimated dream length.
   -He was only correct 50 per cent of the time when woken after 15 minutes
4. Eye movement patterns:
   -mainly vertical: climbing up ladders, throwing a basketball into a net
   -mainly horizontal: watching two people throwing tomatoes at each other
   -mixed: talking in a group of people, searching for something, fighting with someone.
   -limited EMP: looking into the distance while driving a car

Question 11

conclusions

Answer 11

-Dreams are more likely to be reported in REM than NREM sleep.
-Dreams are experienced in real time – dream length and REM sleep duration match.
-Eye movements in sleep are not random; they match dream content.
-The subjective experience of dreaming can be measured objectively using EEG to
identify REM sleep.

Question 12

Evaluation

Answer 12

1. Reliability(S)
2. Validity
   -avoiding investigator effects (S)
   -some results discarded (W)
   -individual differences (W)
3. Objectivity
   -quantitative data (S)
   -scientific equipment (S)
4. Generalisation
   -generalizing beyond sample(W)
   -generalising to everyday life (W)

Question 12

Issues and Debates

Answer 12

1. Application to everyday life
   Understanding typical patterns of sleep and dreaming is important:
   -Psychologists can identify people whose sleep and dreams are unusual.
   -People are more likely to receive suitable treatment/support to improve sleep quality.

2.Nature versus nurture
- Support for nature: all participants demonstrated ultradian REM/NREM sleep
cycles and dreamed more during REM than NREM. This suggests these patterns
are innate and may help us to survive.
- Support for nurture: dream content was diverse; differing life experiences affect
what we dream about and may affect the duration of REM sleep.