Effect of Visual Stimuli on Dream Content
Allan Rechtschaffen, David Foulkes
Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1965 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1965.20.3c.1149 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental sleep study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3 |
| Population | Three sleeping human participants |
| Measures | EEG, eye movement recordings |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Occasional dream imagery contained light stimulation, but there was essentially no evidence for a correspondence between reported dream imagery and the specific characteristics of the illuminated stimulus objects. The authors argue that this relative functional blindness during sleep fails to support theories stating that dream images are determined by patterns of retinal excitation. |
Abstract
Three S s slept with their eyes taped open and their pupils chemically dilated while stages of sleep were monitored by EEG and eye movement recordings. Various objects were illuminated in front of S s' open eyes. Shortly following the stimulus presentations, S s were awakened and reports of dream experiences and other imagery during sleep were obtained. Although there were occasional instances of dream imagery containing light stimulation, there was essentially no evidence for a correspondence between the reported imagery and the specific characteristics of the stimulus objects. The relative functional blindness of sleep fails to support theories stating that dream images are determined by patterns of retinal excitation.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Selected subjects proficient in lucid dreaming | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Slow Wave Sleep Dreaming Fifty volunteers sleeping in a sleep laboratory | 1992 | Observational study with counterbalanced within-subject awakenings | n = 50 |
| Incorporation of concern- and nonconcern-related verbal stimuli into dream content. Seven male subjects studied during sleep Stages 2 and REM | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 7 |
| Lucid Dreaming and Alpha Activity: A Preliminary Report Good dream recallers | 1982 | Experimental study | n = 10 |
| Lucid dreaming during NREM sleep: Two case reports | 2012 | Sleep laboratory study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 15
- Unresponsiveness ≠ Unconsciousness Anesthesiology February 7, 2012
- Finding out about filling-in: a guide to perceptual completion for visual science and the philosophy of perception. Behavioral and Brain Sciences December 1, 1998
- Consciousness, dreams and virtual realities Philosophical Psychology 1995
- Sleepers Selectively Suppress Informative Inputs during Rapid Eye Movements. Current Biology June 22, 2020
- Investigation on Neurobiological Mechanisms of Dreaming in the New Decade Brain Sciences February 11, 2021
and 10 more in the library