Dement and Kleitman Flashcards
What was the background of the experiment?
5 stages of sleep - last stage rem
associated with dreaming
eeg can measure brain waves and differ between stages of sleep
eog can measure eye movements
What was the aim of the experiment?
to investigate whether dream recall differed between nrem and rem sleep
to investigate whether estimates of dream duration were more accurate after 5 or 15 mins in rem
to investigate whether there is a correlation between eye movements and dream content
What was the research method used in the experiment?
lab experiment
correlational study in lab setting
What was the sample used in the experiment?
9 adults, 5 male 4 female,
What was the sampling technique used in the experiment?
volunteer sample
What was the experimental design used in the experiment?
independent measures
What were the controls used in the experiment?
no alcohol/caffeine, regular bedtimes, bell to wake up, recording device, slept in same lab in same condition, not told whether rem or nrem
What was the task in the experiment?
arrive at lab before bedtime, electrodes attached to head and next to eyes, bunched in ponytail at back, attached to eeg
nrem vs rem - woken randomly by bell, asked to recall dream into recording device
5 vs 15 - woken randomly, asked to guess how long they had been dreaming
eye movemnt - movements recorded into vertical, horizontal, random, no, then asked what they were dreaming
debrief
What were the variables used in the experiment?
iv - rem/nrem, 5/15 mins
dv- whether dream was recalled, whether dream duration was guessed correctly
What were the ethical issues in the experiment?
may be invasion of privacy to ask about dreams, were deceived about stage of sleep
What were the results of the experiment?
dreams recalled better in rem
estimates of dream duration were more accurate woken 5 mins after rem
vertical - basketball, horizontal - tomatoes, both - conversation, no - car
What were the conclusions drawn from the experiment?
dreams are recalled better in rem sleep, correlation between eye movement and dream content
What were the strengths of the experiment?
objective data, high control = high validity, high standardisation = high reliability, random allocation to reduce order effect
What were the weaknesses of the experiment?
small sample =less generalisability, demand characteristics, low ecological validity
What are the real-world applications of the experiment?
help people with insomnia
