McNamara Ch. 7, 9, 10 Flashcards
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the definition of dreams as sleep-dependent cognitions.
Hold that dreams are thoughts and cognitions that occur during sleep.
Strengths:
though we cannot say that dreams only happen during REM, most are associated with REM state.
Weaknesses: because dreams vary from cognitions while awake, they are not just sleep dependent cognitions. for example, we read, write and use numbers all the time while waking but rarely do so while dreaming. Story structure adherence in dreams argues against simple sleep-dependent cognitions.
Identify formal properties of dream phenomenology and distinguish these formal properties form content of dreams.
Increased Emotions Hypernesia within the Dream and Amnesia for the dream visual sense predominates automaticity perceptual disengagement hyper creativity self-reflectiveness mind-reading
evaluate the significance of the role of emotion in shaping dream narrative form and content.
emotions appear in all dreams. 80% are negative. they are appropriately aligned to dream content. Extra potent when compared to emotions experienced during wakefulness.
evaluate story or narrative structure in creation of dream properties and phenomenology.
beginning, middle and end
REM dreams create better narratives than NREM
involve twists/disruptions in story line and incongruous juxtapositions.
how is the sense of self (of the dreamer) typically experienced in dreams?
the visual self predominates our dreams, which are very vivid while other senses are dampened or absent.
how is mind-reading (one dream character discerning the thoughts and intentions of a different dream character) possible in dreams given that there is only one dreamer?
the author states that sometimes this happens and sometimes, we have the perception of not being able to read the minds of others, or to have those characters in dreams where we are unsure of their intentions.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Windt’s immersive spatio-temporal hallucination (ISTH) model of dreaming?
Strengths:
reports of lucid dreamers who experience dreams without images or emotions
cites experiences of Buddhist meditators who report the experience of no-self and the experience of dreamer who cannot recount details of dreams but report just knowing that they dreamed.
Weaknesses:
Many exceptions to the rules
they way dreams are organized implies more than a random hallucinations.
What is the significance of the dream property “perceptual disengagement” for dream phenomenology?
perceptual disengagement means that we don’t process our environment while we are dreaming, however, recent studies show that we process auditory stimuli while we are asleep, though it is processed in a different way. If our brain didn’t change this, we wouldn’t be able to sustain sleep.
After a period of sleep deprivation, it is normal to have …
vivid and abundant dreams. (dream rebound)
What is the gold standard taxonomy/ontology for dream content studies?
the Hall/Van de Castle coding system. (see table 7.2 pg 132)
What four major literary stylistic tropes does Hayden White argue people use while they dream? He compares these to Freud’s dreamwork operations. What are the equivalents?
Metaphors, metonymy, synecdoche and irony. in order, condensation, displacement, presentation and secondary revision.
Name the seven basic story lines.
"Overcoming the monster" (Beowulf) Rags to Riches (Cinderella) the quest (King Solomon's mines) voyage and return (the time machine) comedy (a midsummer night's dream) Tragedy (Anna Karenina) Rebirth (beauty and the Beast)
