A Re-Examination of the Interference Hypothesis on Dream Recall
Amy Ruth Parke, Caroline L. Horton
University Library Heidelberg 2009 DOI: 10.11588/ijodr.2009.2.364 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Participants in a dream recall study |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | The interference group recalled significantly more words and reported higher salience compared to the interference/task and control groups, demonstrating that interference influences dream recall failure. The authors propose that interference may interact with dream salience in accounting for much variance within dream recall. |
Abstract
The interference hypothesis (Cohen, 1974; Cohen & Wolfe, 1973) was proposed to account for the difficulties in remembering dreams. Stimuli perceived on waking can either encourage activation of the waking brain or impair the transition from sleep to wake. The objective of the present study was to assess the validity of the interference hypothesis by discriminating between the natural decay of dream memories and enforced interference on dream recall and dream salience. Participants (N=42) were assigned to one of three groups: control, interference or demanding interference. Each participant completed a dream template and questionnaire to assess their dream recallability. The interference group recalled significantly more words and reported higher salience compared to the interference/task and control groups. Interference was thus demonstrated to influence dream recall failure. We propose that interference may interact with dream salience in accounting for much variance within dream recall.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |