DREAMS… WHAT DO THEY MEAN??? DREAM THEORIES

Information-Processing Dreams sift, sort and fix the day’s experiences into memory REM sleep facilitates memory

People who get more REM sleep have higher scores on memory exams Evidence People who get more REM sleep have higher scores on memory exams

Physiological Theory Dreams provide the sleeping brain with periodic stimulation that helps preserve brain’s neural pathways Evidence- Infants spend more time in REM sleep than older people

Cognitive Theory Dreams are a natural part of brain maturation and development They draw on our working concepts and knowledge Evidence- The dreams of small children are more like a slide show.

Problem Solving Theory Dreams are the continuity of waking thought but in dreams you are not constrained by logic or realism like you are when you are awake

People self-report that they solve problems in their dreams Evidence People self-report that they solve problems in their dreams

SIGMUND FREUD Manifest Content: The story line of the dream Latent Content: The hidden meaning (symbols) within the dream (This is what Freud was really interested in) Dreams are key to understanding inner-conflict

FREUD Carl Jung (Freud’s student) picked up and expanded where Freud left off Jung believed that you could “decode” your dreams

Evidence There is no scientific evidence for this theory.

Activation-Synthesis Theory Dreams are a product of activity from pons and/or brainstem Cerebral Cortex attempts to make sense of neuron firings by creating a story DREAMS HAVE NO MEANING!

Evidence PET scans and other imaging techniques provide evidence for this.