Effects of Presleep Procedures and Cognitive Style on Dream Content
Frederick Baekeland
Perceptual and Motor Skills February 1, 1971 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1971.32.1.63 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 44 |
| Population | Two groups of sleepers: 17 participants with no special pre-sleep procedure and 27 participants who underwent a pre-sleep association period under partial sensory isolation |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Participants who spent a half-hour before sleep in anxiety-provoking partial sensory isolation, focused on the laboratory, reported more laboratory-related dreams and more unpleasant dreams, appeared more often as participants in their dreams, and recalled dreams less well than participants with no special pre-sleep procedure. Cognitive style also shaped laboratory-related dreaming and the participant-observer dimension of dream content. |
Abstract
The REM period dream reports of two groups of Ss with different kinds of presleep experiences were examined with respect to laboratory references, overt references to E, pleasantness and unpleasantness of content, self-representation of the dreamer in his dreams and dream recall. Group 1 included 17 Ss who were not exposed to any special presleep procedure. Group 2 was composed of 27 Ss who underwent a half-hour presleep association period under conditions of partial sensory isolation which were anxiety provoking and focused Ss attention on laboratory procedures. Group 2 had more dreams related to the laboratory situation (lab dreams) and more unpleasant dreams. They were more often participants in their dreams and they recalled them less well than Group 1. Cognitive style was also a determinant of lab dreams and the participant-observer dimension of dream content.
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 4
- Dreaming of the sleep lab PLoS One October 6, 2021
- A methodological study of the effect of experimentally induced demand characteristics in research on nocturnal dreams. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1978
- High dream recall frequency: A sign of good quality of life? Mentálhigiéné és Pszichoszomatika August 19, 2011
- The route to recall a dream: theoretical considerations and methodological implications. Psychological Research June 1, 2023