Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model
Michael Schredl, Lutz Wittmann, Petra Ciric, Simon GÖtz
Journal of Sleep Research May 12, 2003 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2869.2003.00344.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 444 |
| Population | Adults (general population sample) |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Sleep inertia Structural equation modeling Personality Openness to experience Variance accounting Expectancy theory Developmental psychology Explained variation Creativity Trait Recall Cognition Cognitive psychology Statistics Sleep disorder |
| Citations | 147 |
| Key findings | Personality (openness to experience, thin boundaries, absorption), creativity, nocturnal awakenings, and attitude toward dreams together explained only 8.4% of the variance in dream recall frequency, with each factor explaining less than 3% individually. The authors propose that prior single-factor studies may have been inflated by expectancy effects and that unmeasured variables like sleep duration and sleep inertia may be important. |
Abstract
Previous research has indicated that personality factors such as openness to experience, creativity, visual memory, attitude toward dreams, and sleep behavior is related to home dream recall frequency (DRF). However, a study investigating all areas simultaneously within one sample in order to determine the percentage of variance explained by all variables and to take intercorrelations between the influencing factors into account has not been performed till now. The present study with 444 participants fills this gap. Using several indicators for each of the variables mentioned above, a structural equation model was tested. Although the model fit was satisfying, the four factors which were significantly related to DRF: personality (openness to experience, thin boundaries, absorption), creativity, nocturnal awakenings, and attitude toward dreams, explained only 8.4% of the total variance. As this value is considerably lower than those of studies investigating a single influencing factor and using similar measurement instruments in similar samples, one might speculate about possible expectancy effects in these previous studies, an effect which has been demonstrated for DRF in the laboratory setting. In addition, the small percentage of explained variance of each single factors (<3%) may indicate that other, in this study unmeasured, variables such as sleep duration (state aspect), introspection, and cognitive functioning immediately upon awakening (sleep inertia) show substantial covariance with the interindividual differences in DRF. Future studies should focus on longitudinal aspects in order to differentiate between state versus trait factors (although methodologic issues, e.g. the effect of the measurement technique on DRF itself, have to be clarified) and investigate additional variables which might be associated with DRF (see above).
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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State of the evidence: Dreaming No effect
Personality, creativity, nocturnal awakenings, and attitude toward dreams together explained only 8.4% of variance in dream recall frequency, with each factor explaining less than 3%.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 583 |
| Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) | n = 8,558 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 919 |
| Lucid dreaming: an age‐dependent brain dissociation Students aged 6-19 years | 2012 | Survey |
Citations in the library
Cited by 82
- Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives Frontiers in Psychology 2011
- Self-Reported Effects of Dreams on Waking-Life Creativity: An Empirical Study The Journal of Psychology 2007
- Dream characteristics in a Brazilian sample: an online survey focusing on lucid dreaming Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Nightmare frequency in patients with primary insomnia heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2009
- Increased Awakenings From Non-rapid Eye Movement Sleep Explain Differences in Dream Recall Frequency in Healthy Individuals Frontiers in Human Neuroscience October 15, 2019
and 77 more in the library
Cites 14
- Questionnaires and diaries as research instruments in dream research: Methodological issues. Dreaming March 1, 2002
- Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors Imagination, Cognition and Personality October 1, 1996
- Dream recall frequency, attitude towards dreams and openness to experience. Dreaming September 1, 2003
- Aging and Memory for Dreams Perceptual and Motor Skills October 1, 1991
- Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part II: State Factors, Investigations and Final Conclusions Imagination, Cognition and Personality March 1, 1997
and 9 more in the library