Dreaming

Question 1

Waves

Answer 1

waves show there is something special about REM sleep and REM dreams

Question 2

Foulkes and Scott 1973

Answer 2

found 24% of daydreams were described like dreams

Question 3

Foulkes and Fleisher 1975

Answer 3

• 19% of daydreams are hallucinations
• 20% are involuntary

Question 4

Antrobus 1983

Answer 4

• REM dreams are more bizarre and have more characters because they are longer
• they may be longer because of better recall from REM sleep

Question 5

Solms 2000

Answer 5

• dreaming and REM sleep are controlled by different brain mechanisms
• Dreaming is controlled by the fore-brain
  REM sleep is controlled by the brain-stem

Question 6

dreaming having a function?
- the threat simulation theory (Ravonsuo 2000)

Answer 6

people who practice overcoming threats in the dream environment will have an evolutionary fitness benefit in waking life

Question 7

Wamsley and Stickgold 2011

Answer 7

• dreams are the experience of the brain understanding the consolidation of memories
• dreams do not copy previous experiences but link them to pre-existing knowledge structures

Question 8

dreaming and memory consolidation

Answer 8

• dreaming, particularly during REM, play a role in consolidating and integrating new information
• studies shown sleep enhances the retention of declarative and procedural memories

Question 9

Wamsley 2010
and
Wamsley and stickgold 2019

Answer 9

• improvement in learning task performance across sleep was associated with dreaming of the learning task
• however dreaming of the task was found to be poor performance
• the dream content might thus not be part of functional brain processes during sleep

Question 10

the null hypotheses

Answer 10

• there is no purpose or function to our dreams - even when they are meaningful
• they allow that dreams have some meaning in that they refer to individual waking experiences - therefore do differ between people

Question 11

Owen Flanagan 2000 book ‘dreaming souls’
in support of the null hypotheses

Answer 11

• he describes dreams as decorative ‘sprandels’
• the term is used in evolutionary theory to describe a function-less feature of an organism
• if dreams are function- less, evolution might not of acted to stop them. but would have made them more difficult to remember

Question 12

research designs that could demonstrate dreaming does or does not have a function

Answer 12

• researchers could collect dream reports or laboratory-based sleep studies
• dream content analysis - to identify patterns with cognitive or emotional variable
• longitudinal studies - track changes in dreams
• neuroimaging techniques - fMRI and EEG
• used to examine brain activity during dreams

Question 13

from a phenomenological perspective

Answer 13

• dreams are subjective experiences that hold personal meaning and significance for individuals
• dreams often reflect inner thoughts and emotions
• underscores the importance of considering individual perspectives and interpretations of dreams

Question 14

researcher propose that dreaming may serve functions related to memory consolidation, emotional processing and cognitive integration

Answer 14

• research suggest that dreaming may contribute to the encoding, consolidation and integration of memories and emotional experiences
• theoretical frameworks such as the activation-synthesis theory and the neurocognitive model of dreaming suggest that dreams may serve adaptive functions in cognitive and emotional processing.

Question 15

neuro-imaging studies and dreaming

Answer 15

• shown that dreaming is associated with specific patterns of brain activity.
• increased activity in regions such as PFC
• findings suggest that dreaming may involve the activation of multiple brain networks

Question 16

what do some researchers argue can contribute to the emotional intensity of REM dreams

Answer 16

the emotional processing and memory consolidation functions of REM sleep can contribute to the emotional intensity and narrative complexity of REM dreams

Question 17

NREM and dreams

Answer 17

• dreams can occur
• dreams in this stage are less vivid and more thought-like but can still be complex and memorable

Question 18

individual variability in dream recall and content

Answer 18

some report more vivid and frequent dreams from NREM sleep stages

Question 19

Lucid dreaming occuring in both REM and NREM

Answer 19

suggesting that dream formation mechanisms are not exclusive to REM sleep

Question 20

research design - study dreaming in diverse cultural contexts

Answer 20

to see if the proposed functions of dreaming are universal or if they are culture specific

Question 21

research design - dreaming and sleep patterns in animals

Answer 21

• to understand the evolutionary aspects of dreaming

Question 22

research design - study individuals with sleep disorders that affect dreaming

Answer 22

to observe the impact on cognitive and emotional functions