Age changes in dream recall in adulthood.
Leonard M. Giambra, Rex E. Jung, Alicia Grodsky
Dreaming March 1, 1996 DOI: 10.1037/h0094443 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Longitudinal Cross-sectional Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,328 |
| Population | Adults aged 17 to 92 years |
| Duration | Longitudinal follow-up of 6 to 8 years |
| Measures | Night Dreaming Scale of the Imaginal Processes Inventory |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 62 |
| Key findings | Fewer dreams were recalled with increasing age in a cross-sectional sample of 2,328 people, with women recalling more dreams and showing a less rapid decline than men. Longitudinal changes in 333 people over 6 to 8 years were not wholly consistent with the cross-sectional age differences. The authors report a large reduction in recalled dreams in senescence, beginning well before old age. |
Abstract
Dream recall was measured retrospectively with the Night Dreaming Scale of the Imaginal Processes Inventory. Evidence supports a high degree of correspondence among methods which assess dreaming frequency. A cross-sectional sample (17-92 years old, n = 2328) found fewer dreams recalled with increasing age. Women recalled more dreams and showed a less rapid decrease in frequency than men. Longitudinal changes (n = 333) over 6 to 8 years were not wholly consistent with cross-sectional age differences. We found many fewer recalled dreams in senescence. However, the reduction in recalled dreams began well before senescence. Explanations based on dream saliency, long- and short-term memory failure, levels of REM sleep, and degree of spontaneous information processing were considered.
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 |
| The prevalence of nightmares and their independence from anxiety. Undergraduates | 1990 | Observational study using daily dream logs | n = 220 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 27
- Questionnaires and diaries as research instruments in dream research: Methodological issues. Dreaming March 1, 2002
- Increased Lucid Dreaming Frequency in Narcolepsy Sleep April 30, 2015
- Spotlight on dream recall: the ages of dreams Nature and Science of Sleep 2018
- Dreams and dreaming among the elderly: An overview Aging & Mental Health February 1, 1999
- Lucid dreaming increased during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey. PLoS One 2022
and 22 more in the library