A replication of the 5-7 day dream-lag effect with comparison of dreams to future events as control for baseline matching.
Consciousness and Cognition June 1, 2011 Mark Blagrove, Josie Henley-Einion, Amanda Barnett et al.
The dream-lag effect describes a pattern where memories from the previous day are frequently incorporated into dreams, followed by a lower incorporation of memories from 2 to 4 days earlier, and then a higher incorporation of memories from 5 to 7 days earlier. In a study with 8 female participants who kept daily and dream diaries for 14 days, ratings of matches between dream reports and diary records showed a significant dream-lag effect for the 5-7 day period compared to baseline and the 2-4 day period. This suggests a possible memory processing function for sleep reflected in dream content. Both participants' and independent judges' ratings confirmed a significant day-residue effect.