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Laboratory Sleep Patterns and Dream Content of Type A and B Scoring College Students

David Koulack, Marc Nesca, Bradley M. Stroud

Perceptual and Motor Skills August 1, 1993 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1993.77.1.216 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational study Peer reviewed
Sample size 14
Population 7 Type A and 7 Type B scorers
Duration Three-night period
Topics Dreaming
Citations 4
Key findings Type A scorers had more body movements and greater dream recall than Type B scorers, but no other sleep or dream differences emerged over three laboratory nights. The authors suggest that Type A scorers' impressions of poorer sleep and more negative dreams may stem from their waking life-style rather than objective sleep measures.

Abstract

The suggestion that there may be a discrepancy between subjective and objective measures of sleep led us to explore the sleep and dreams of 7 Type A and 7 Type B scorers in our laboratory over a three-night period. In earlier studies, Type A scorers had indicated that their sleep was somewhat more disturbed and their dream content generally more active and negative in tone than that of Type B scorers. However, in this study the only differences were that Type A scorers had a greater number of body movements and greater dream recall than did Type B scorers. These results seem to indicate that the impression Type A scorers have of the quality of their sleep and dreams may be a function of their waking life-style.