Dement & Kleitman (1957) Flashcards
Independent variables
Woken during REM / NREM
Time woken into REM (5/15mins)
Direction of eye movement
Dependent variables
Dreams
Estimation of length of dreams
Dream content
Sample size
7 males
2 females
Only 2 p’s were studied in depth
Method
Lab experiment
Procedure
P’s reported to lab just before normal bedtime
Asked NOT to consume caffeine/alcohol
Electrodes attached near eyes & to scalp to measure eye movement & brain activity
P’s went to bed in darkened room
Woken av. of 5/night by bell
P had to state if they dreamt & if they could recall context to tape recorder
Went back to sleep
Results
P’s more likely to recall dreams during REM (REM 89% recalled dreaming, NREM 93% hadn’t dreamt)
P’s woken randomly into sleep - after 5mins 88% of p’s suggested 5mins - after 15mins 78% of p’s suggested 15mins
Horizontal eye movement - things in dream going left/right eg tomato fight / Vertical eye movement - moving up/down eg climbing a ladder
Control variables
No caffeine
All in lab
All w/ electrodes
All woken by bell
Validity
Low due to individual differences
High due to controls
Ecologically valid
Not ecologically valid
Very artificial - electrodes whilst sleeping, disruptions may result in diff changing pattern, couldn’t drink caffeine/alcohol, more alert/sensitive as not in own bed
Equipment
EEG - allowed them to identify info. during sleep
Reliabilty
Standardised procedure being used - all had EGG, none had caffeine (shows reliable method being used)
Evaluation of sample
Limited sample -
Only 5 studied in depth, not representative of target pop, can’t generalise results, decreases reliability
Qualitative & quantitative data
Qualitative - description
Quantitative - times they dreamed, how long for, dreaming yes/no?
3 hypothesis’
When people are woken during REM they are more likely to remember dreaming in comparison to people who are not woken during REM
People should be able to estimate the time they’ve spent dreaming
Direction of eye movement relates to dream context
