SLEEP AND DREAMING Flashcards
Zayn has been diagnosed with narcolepsy. What symptoms might Zayn have?
Zayn may have excessive daytime sleepiness and could fall into an uncontrollable daytime sleep at any time. Around 70% of people with narcolepsy experience cataplexy and a loss of muscle tone and power due to an onset of strong emotions, such as laughter.
Why did Freud suggest that Little Hans had a phobia of horses?
Freud believed that Hans had a fear of horses as he had seen one die in the street. The horse that Hans was scared of was white, with blinkers and a nose strap - this was thought to symbolise his father’s pale skin, glasses and moustache.
The black bits might represent his father’s moustache and therefore Freud suggested that the horse could be a symbol for Hans’ father. Hans’ phobia of horses showed his unconscious fear of his father as his father would be angry with Hans for wanting his mother
(Oedipus complex).
Describe one strength and one weakness of the Little Hans study.
STRENGTH: A strength of this case study is that Freud could collect lots of rich, detailed information on the participant, which developed his understanding of development.
For example, Freud gathered information about the boy not only from his parents, but also, to an extent, from the boy himself.
This detail helped Freud understand how Hans’ phobia developed and was ultimately resolved.
WEAKNESS: A weakness is that a case study also relies on a very small sample, and therefore we cannot generalise beyond the sample - there is a lack of external validity. Little Hans was one boy from Vienna, therefore we cannot generalise beyond this - he does not represent all other children.
What are some of the explanations for insomnia?
There are a number of explanations for insomnia.
busy lifestyles - including flying frequently and having jet lag or working shifts can all affect our natural bodily rhythms. Drug use can lead to insomnia. For example, amphetamines, alcohol and antidepressants can all disrupt our natural sleep cycle. Some health conditions and psychological disorders also lead to insomnia. Around 40% of patients seeking treatments for insomnia have an associated psychological disorder (Morin et al., 1999). Additionally, heart problems and asthma can contribute to problems with sleep.
What is an endogenous pacemaker?
This is our internal biological clock which regulates biological rhythms.
An example is the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
How can Siffre’s study be an example of Psychology in action?
This study has underlined difficulties astronauts might face regarding their body clock. It showed that there are biological effects of not having external cues to time.
It also demonstrated the importance of company in space, as being alone without such cues causes psychological effects.
Describe what happens during REM sleep.
In REM sleep the EEG becomes fast and desynchronised, similar to the pattern for a person who is awake.
However, the body loses tone and the body is essentially paralysed, e.g. movement inhibition.
There are rapid movements of the eyes. Sensory blockade also happens during this stage as incoming information is blocked. Heart rate and blood pressure rise and dreaming can occur.
Outline Freud’s two aims for his Little Hans study.
Freud wanted to help the individual, Herbert Graf (Little Hans), and also he wanted to build
evidence for his theory of the psychosexual stages and his work on how children develop.
What have sleep deprivation studies taught us about the importance of sleep?
Sleep deprivation studies show that a lack of sleep can affect physical functioning such as weight and brain functioning.
Animal studies in this area indicate that sleep is needed for survival.
For example, rats can die about 3 weeks if deprived of all sleep.
We know deep sleep can help to restore the body, therefore if we don’t have enough sleep our brain and body will suffer.
How did psychologists study dreams before the invention of the EEG?
Psychologists, like Freud, would use self-report to investigate the nature and function of dreams.
Therefore, they would use a subjective method.
The invention of the EEG means that the study of dreams is now more objective and scientific.
After taking part in a sleep lab study Zoe tells her friend Sally that she dreamt she was a bumblebee.
In her dream she felt like she was flying, and she could see the ground. Below her she could see tiny bears walking around.
Zoe thinks the dream means that she should make plans to go abroad on a holiday.
Her friend Sally tells Zoe that she thinks dreams don’t have any meaning and that they are just brain processes.
Assess how well Hobson and McCarley’s neurobiological theory can explain dreaming.
Research for this theory comes from sleep laboratory studies.
When people are observed in a sleep lab, they all show rapid eye movement periodically during their night’s sleep, but muscles are paralysed, and sense data is not received.
Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that dreaming comes from the brain generating and making sense of random information.
A weakness of the concept of random thoughts is that when reporting dreams, people can often link them to things that have happened during the day before.
This suggests that the random firing of neurons during REM sleep has some meaning.
The major criticism with dream theories is that they are unfalsifiable as there is no one way yet discovered on how we can explain or interpret dreams.
However, the neurobiological theory is based on scientific research unlike Freud’s work.
Following criticims of the original theory Hobson has developed the AIM model (Activation, Input and modulators).
This is a strength as this is an evoloving theory which has clearly made a valuable contribution to the explantion of dreaming.
Which psychologists concluded that dreaming took place in REM sleep?
A. Dement & Kleitman
B. Zimbardo & Milgram
C. Mistlberer & Skene
D. Baddeley & Hitch
A. Dement & Kleitman
Which of the following is a symptom of narcolepsy?
A. Feeling irritable and unable to concentrate
B. Cataplexy
C. Difficulty falling asleep
D. Waking up a lot during the night
B. Cataplexy
The latent content of a dream refers to…
A. The meaning of the dream
B. The story of the dream
C. How the mind keeps unconscious thoughts hidden
D. The length of the dream
A. The meaning of the dream
Who proposed the activation-synthesis theory of dreaming?
A. Freud
B. Siffre
C. Hobson & McCarley
D. Dement & Kleitman
C. Hobson & McCarley
