Dreaming, believing, and remembering.
Giuliana Mazzoni, Elizabeth F. Loftus
American Psychological Association eBooks October 27, 2004 DOI: 10.1037/10303-008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Gentle suggestion Not-so-gentle suggestion Dream interpretation |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key findings | Across multiple experiments, participants came to hold false beliefs after both gentle and not-so-gentle suggestions: they believed dream-report items were words from an earlier list, and later that dream material proved they had had certain critical childhood experiences. The authors argue that dream interpretation can be used to influence recollections of the past. |
Abstract
Presents the findings of several years of empirical research involving the use of dreams in therapy and explores the extent to which the authors could use dream material, or even dream interpretation, to influence Ss' recollections of the past. Initial studies investigated whether a gentle suggestion could get people to believe falsely that items that came from their dream reports were words they had seen on a list that had been shown to them earlier in the experiment. Later studies examined whether not-so-gentle suggestions could get people to to believe falsely that items that came from their dream reports proved that they had had certain critical experiences in their childhood. Results showed that Ss could be made to have false beliefs with both gentle and not-so-gentle suggestions. Specific issues addressed include: dream experiences and false memories; self-generated stories and false memories; dream interpretation and false childhood beliefs; remembering danger that never happened; the power of dream interpretation; and from suggestion to belief in memory.
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 |