// Theories of dreaming

Question 1

Theories for functions of dreaming

Answer 1

1. associative function
2. threat smulation
3. extinction memories
4. memory consolidation
5. emotional processing
6. neural correlates

Question 2

Associative function

Answer 2

Hartmann

• Dreaming makes dree associations in a safe environment
• Seen after trauma – replay trauma and change it to include related material
• Dominant emotion remains and is contextualised
• Dreaming makes broader connections that waking thought – sleep is hyperconnective
• Cross-connections can occur without being remembered

Question 3

Threat simulation

Answer 3

Revunusuo 2000

• Simulation of the real world where we practice overcoming threats
• Valli 2003 – evidence – traumatised children have more dreams with a higher number of threatening events
• Physical and social threats

Question 4

Extiction memories

Answer 4

Nielsen

• dream of conditioned fears , change context and related emotion to extinguish the fear
• form new extinction memories

Question 5

Memory consolidation

Answer 5

Wamsley 2011

• Dreaming of what we learn
• Can be abstract (Stickgold’s skiing task) – metaphoric nature of dreams from merging of memories
• Procedural leaning in REM sleep but dreams are rarely of the skills
• Declarative memory processed in SWS where dreams are rarer

Wamsley 2010

• maze task

Question 6

Emotional processing

Answer 6

Cartwright 1991

• People undergoing divorce who dream of the spouse recover more quickly from the divorce
• ☹ Cause and effect
• ☹ Can’t randomly assign Ps to dream content conditions to see if content has any effect

Question 7

Neural correlates

Answer 7

Siclari 2017

• Dreaming in REM and NREM when the posteria hot spot is activated
• Pure measure of consciousness – within a sleep state it is either present or absent & neural correlates can be assessed
• Virtual simulation linked to enhanced memory processing?

Question 8

Dreams have no function

Answer 8

1. bi-product of non-functional processes
   
   • Dreams reflect our waking life thinking – Continuity theory (Domhoff)
2. bi-product of functional processes
   
   • Dreams are scrambled versions of waking life memories – activation-synthesis theory (Hobson)
   • continued functioning of default network (Domhoff)

Question 9

Dreams as a source of inight/creativity

Answer 9

• Distinct from the question of whether dreams are meaningful
• Consideration of a dream either tells you about dream content sources or one’s waking life
• Hill 1993
  
  • may be the process/time given to interpretation that results in creativity and insight rather than the dream itself, so control conditions are needed
• Balgrove 2018
  
  • 50% of dream discussions provide insight about the dreamer or their life