Physiological - Dement And Kleitman

Question 0

What is the research method used in this study?

Answer 0

Quasi experiment in a lab

Question 1

What is the aim of this study?

Answer 1

To see if physiological aspects of REM sleep relate to subjects’ experience of dreaming

Question 2

Describe the sample and sample type

Answer 2

Opportunity sample. 7 adult males and 2 adult females. 5 were constantly tested on between 6-17 times a night, 4 others tested only once or twice.

Question 3

What were the 3 IVs in the three conditions of this study?

Answer 3

1) The way in which the participant is woken up (REM or non-REM)
2) Woken up 5 or 15 minutes into REM sleep
3) None, naturally occurring

Question 4

What were the three DVs for the three conditions in this study?

Answer 4

1) Ability to recall dreams
2) Estimate of dream length (5 or 15 and length of narrative)
3) Naturally occurring, so none

Question 5

List the controls of this study

Answer 5

• Standardised environment in lab
• Standardised way to be woken up, by door bell
• No alcohol or caffeine
• Asked to eat normally
• Electrodes attached around the eyes and scalp

Question 6

What was the hypothesis of the first condition?

Answer 6

There is a significant association between REM sleep and dreaming. This would establish that measuring REM sleep is a valid measure of dream activity.

Question 7

What is the procedure of condition one?

Answer 7

At various times during the night participants were awoken by a doorbell, some were in REM sleep and others non-REM a sleep. They were then told to record whether they dreamed or not. One participant was woken in 3 REM and 3 non-REM periods, another was woken when the experimenter chose and another was told he’d only be woken in REM, but was woken in both.

Question 8

Results of condition one?

Answer 8

• 152 dreams were recorded in REM, 11 in non-REM
• No REM dream recall was common in the first 2 hours on the night
• When woken within 8 minutes of REM sleep 5/17 recorded dreams

Question 9

Conclusions of condition 1?

Answer 9

The closer to REM sleep the participant is, the easier it is to record and remember dreams

Question 10

What was the hypothesis of condition two?

Answer 10

There is a significant positive correlation between estimate of time dreaming and measurement of REM

Question 11

What was the procedure of condition 2?

Answer 11

Subjects were woken up at either 5 or 15 minutes of REM sleep and asked to estimate dream length

Question 12

What were the results of condition 2?

Answer 12

Woken after 5 minutes =
- 45 right, 6 wrong
Woken after 15 minutes =
- 47 right, 13 wrong

Question 13

Conclusions for condition 2?

Answer 13

There is a significant relationship between subjects estimate of dream length and amount of time in REM

Question 14

What was the hypothesis for condition 3?

Answer 14

Eye movement during REM sleep relates to dream context

Question 15

What was the procedure of condition 3?

Answer 15

Subjects woken after one minute of showing either of the following behaviours:
-vertical
-horizontal
-both vertical and horizontal
-no eye movement 
Asked what they were dreaming about

Question 16

Results for condition 3?

Answer 16

Eye movement is related to dream context. Participants move eyes to fit with what is happening (vertical = watching people throw tomatoes at one another)

Question 17

Conclusions for condition 3?

Answer 17

Eye movement is correlated with dream content

Question 18

Outline the practical applications of this study

Answer 18

• Been useful in dream studies, as other tests have produced mixed results
• helps us understand the links between sleep and dreams

Question 19

Evaluate the ecological validity of this study

Answer 19

• Low, artificial environment - sleep could have been disturbed
• Low, electrodes attached - alters behaviour

Question 20

Evaluate the ethics of this study

Answer 20

Bad - Hard to withdraw with electrodes in, hard to protect as vulnerable state
Good - No deception, names not given

Question 21

What data types were used in this study?

Answer 21

Quantitative - Number who could recall dreams

Qualitative - Description of dreams

Question 22

Two strengths of this study?

Answer 22

• Reliability

- Both data types collected

Question 23

Two weaknesses of this study?

Answer 23

• Small sample of 9

- Unrepresentative, as more male participants

Question 24

Suggest two areas you would improve for this study

Answer 24

• To perform the experiments within the participants homes

- To increase the sample to make it more representative