Honson and McCarley's ( 1977) activation synethesis theory of dreamingSleep and dreaming

Question 1

During REM sleep what happens?

Answer 1

During REM sleep, sensory information is not coming into the brain ( sensory blockade). ( randoms thoughts are sent)

Question 2

Where do the randoms thought-form?

Answer 2

The ‘activation’ part of the theory.

Question 3

Where do random thoughts during REM sleep come from?

Answer 3

They come from neurons in the brain being randomly activated and firmly. Which means an electrical impulse in a neuron releases neurochemicals. This crosses the synaptic gap and messages thought are sent.

Question 4

What does synthesis mean?

Answer 4

The brain works autmotically to try and make sense of the random thoughts, and this generates what we experience as a dream.

Question 5

Strengths

Answer 5

The theory makes sense! Given that we are paralysed and experience sensory blockade during REM sleep, it makes sense that dreaming comes from the brain generating and making sense of random information.

Question 6

Weakness

Answer 6

When reporting dreams, people can often link them to things that happened the day before- this suggests that they are not just the product of random neuronal firings.

Question 7

Outline the activation-snythesis theory of dreaming

Answer 7

During REM sleep we experience paralysis and sensory blockade. However, random thoughts are sent from neuronal firing (the activation part of the theory). The brain works automatically to make sense of these random thoughts (the synthesis part of the theory), and thi is what we experience as a dream.