Download DREAMS

Natural Variations in
Consciousness
pp. (150-154)
Dream Quiz
1.
How many hours a night are spent dreaming?
2.
What % of our REM sleep is occupied by dreams?
3.
Which dreams tend to be more vivid – REM or NREM?
4.
What adjective characterizes dreams of males?
5.
What adjective characterizes dreams of females?
Understanding Dreams
(answers to ?s #1, 2 and 3)

Avg. hours of dreams per night = 2 hours

Dreams typically occur during REM sleep



80-85% of REM sleep is dreaming
vivid dreams
During NREM sleep


less vivid dreams
resemble “thinking”
Dream Theories
Theory #1
 Freud

Basis in psychoanalysis
Dreams are the “royal road to the unconscious”
 Dreams are unconscious wishes translated to
our conscious state

Dream Theories
Theory #2
 Winson (1990)/ Crick & Mitchison (1995)

Means of survival
information gained during the day is processed
 strengthens the memory of information that is
crucial to our survival
 allows us to free our mind of clutter
 open to new information in the future

Dream Theories
Theory #3
 Recent trends…

Dreams strengthen memories


doesn’t free our mind of clutter; solidifies what
we learned
REM sleep is connected to brain restoration
and growth (our body needs to dream)
Dream Content
What do we dream?
Influence from Sleep

When we are closest to waking
dream about recent events
 remember most dreams at this stage


During the middle of the night
childhood
 past experiences

Influence from Gender
(answers to ?s #4 and 5)
Characteristics of
Female Dreams
Characteristics of
Male Dreams


aggression
achievement

emotions
 friendly interactions
 indoor settings

recall more dreams
Influence from Age

Young children
dreams tend to be brief
 focused on animals
 no specific story line

Influence from Socioeconomic Groups

Lower/lower-middle classes


dreams involving people or misfortune
Caucasian vs. African American

little difference between dream content
Assignment

Using your textbook, provide a brief
description of each of the following

(to be placed in your notes)
Insomnia
Narcolepsy
Sleep Apnea