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Individual differences in dream recall.

Helen Lewis, Donald R. Goodenough, A Shapiro, I Sleser

Journal of Abnormal Psychology February 1, 1966 DOI: 10.1037/h0022824 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational laboratory study Peer reviewed
Population Adults who either rarely remember dreams (nonreporters) or frequently remember dreams (reporters)
Duration 4 nights in the laboratory
Topics Dreaming
Keywords Humans Personality Dreams Memory Adult Male
Key findings Nonreporters and reporters did not differ in REM-period frequency or EEG sleep patterns, but nonreporters reported dreaming less often after REM-period awakenings. Participants were self-consistent in dream-reporting frequency and in type of failure to report, with some nonreporters recalling no content and others reporting they were awake and thinking. The authors suggest distinguishing different kinds of nonreporters based on eye-movement frequency, arousal threshold, and dreamlike-report content.

Abstract

Ss who typically fail to remember dreams at home (nonreporters) and Ss who frequently remember dreams (reporters) slept in the laboratory for 4 nights each. Gradual or abrupt awakenings were made at each EEG Stage-1 REM (dream) period. Although nonreporters and reporters did not differ in REM-period frequency or EEG patterns during sleep, nonreporters did report dreaming less frequently following REM-period awakenings. Ss showed selfconsistency in frequency of dream reporting and in type of failure to report. Some nonreporters typically failed to remember any content; others typically said they were awake and thinking. Comparisons among reporters and subgroups of nonreporters for eye-movement frequency, arousal threshold, and dreamlike-report content indicate that it may be useful to distinguish different kinds of nonreporters. This study is one of a series of studies comparing subjects (Ss) who typically remember dreams with 5s who claim that they rarely dream, in an effort to understand the basis for these individual differences in dream recall. These studies make use of the Aserinsky-Dement-Kleitman (Aserinsky & Kleitman, 1953; Dement & Kleitman, 1957a, 19S7b) EEG and eye-movement criteria for determining when dreams occur. They are based on the working assumption that awakening a 5 during a Stage-1 EEG rapid eyemovement period (REM period) is awakening him while he is in a dream state. The first study in the series (Goodenough, Shapiro, Holden, & Steinschriber, 1959) was designed to test the accuracy of the claim made by some people that they rarely or never dream. A group of these 5s (nonreporters) and a group of 5s who claimed that they recalled dreams almost every night (dream reporters) were studied in the laboratory during their normal sleep period. The two groups did not differ significantly in the frequency of rapid eye-movement (REM) periods. When awakened from REM periods, every 5, including the nonreporters, related

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
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
The Dream Catcher experiment: blinded analyses failed to detect markers of dreaming consciousness in EEG spectral power. Human participants during sleep 2020 Experimental study with blinded classification n = 9

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