Sleep and Dreams Flashcards
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Describe REM sleep.
Even though the eyes are closed, they can be seen moving quickly.
When dreaming takes place.
Describe the term circadian rhythm.
Circadian rhythms are physical processes maintained by sunlight and other time cues
What did Dement and Kleitman conclude about REM sleep activity?
There was a strong connection between REM and dreaming
Strong correlation between dream recall and length of REM sleep.
Describe Oswald’s Restoration Theory.
NREM sleep restores biological processes that have deteriorate during the day;
* REM sleep replenishes and renews brain processes through the process of protein synthesis.
Give 2 analysis points for Oswald’s Restoration Theory of sleep.
Patients with brain injuries can be put into induced comas to aid brain recovery.
Rechtschaffen (1983) found that sleep-deprived rats died within 23 days.
It has also been found that bodily restoration can be achieved by resting alone.
- Horne (1978) found that sleep deprivation does not interfere with
participants’ ability to play sport, which contradicts Oswald’s theory in terms of body restoration.
Give 2 analysis points for Dement & Kleitman’s experiment
They developed a way of objectively studying dreaming.
People blind from birth showed signs of REM, what are they seeing?
An application of this study is in the area of sleep disorders.
Give 2 evaluation points for Dement & Kleitman’s experiment
The study lacks of ecological validity.
Waking participants may have affected their ability to recall their dream.
The method was very tightly controlled.
Evaluate Cziesler’s Study into bright light and darkness to treat physiological maladaptation to night work
- All the participants were male therefore cannot be generalised.
- A small sample was used.
- Experimental method lacks ecological validity
- Give some insight into the physiological effect of night working.
Participants kept diaries at home which could be subjective and inaccurate.
Analyse Cziesler’s Study into bright light and darkness to treat physiological maladaptation to night work
The study highlighted the possible implications for industrial productivity and safety of people on night shift.
Highlighted the possible health consequences of sleep deprivation
Describe the Reorganisational Theory of Dreaming (Crick and Mitchison 1986)
According to the theory, we dream in order to forget and this involves a process of ‘reverse learning’ or ‘unlearning’.
the brain supposedly sifts through information gathered throughout the day and throws out all unwanted material, called parasitic memories that are taking up valuable space. Adaptive memories that will be useful are retained.
What evidence is there to support Crick & Mitchison’s theory
The spiny anteater has no REM sleep, but does have a huge enlarged brain. The large brain has to store unwanted memories
Evaluate the Reorganisational Theory of Dreaming (Crick and Mitchison 1986)
Can explain why dreams are rarely recalled.
Larger brains exist in animals that do have REM sleep
Does not explain why some dreams are significant
Later Crick and Mitchison changed their theory to apply only to bizarre imagery in dreams
Describe the manifest content of dreams
The manifest content of a dream is the actual literal content and storyline of the dream.
Describe the latent content of dreams.
The latent content refers to the symbolic meaning of a dream that lies behind the literal content of the dream – what the dream is really about.
Name 2 defence mechanisms that can be used to censor the latent content of a dream.
- Repression
- Denial
- Projection
- Displacement
- Regression
- Sublimation
