Activation Synthesis Flashcards
What is the synthesis part of the theory
‘Synthesis’: when internally generated information is interpreted by the brain to make a story
What is movement inhibition
The body enters a paralytic state: all physical movement is stopped
What is the activation part of the theory?
‘Activation’: when internally-generated impulses imitate information as if received from the 5 senses causing random activation.
Internally generated random impulses activate within the brain as if sensory information were being received during random activation
What is sensory blockade?
Reception of all incoming information from the 5 senses is switched off
What is REM sleep what did H&M believe this meant?
REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movement indicating that dreaming is taking place
What happens during REM sleep according to H&M?
All incoming information from the senses is barricaded during sensory blockadeand all movement is switched off during movement inhibitionthe dream state generator is switched on.
What is the sleep cycle and what kind of sleep occurs?
5 cycles of 4 stages of NonREM each and at the end of which REM sleep occurs
What is the activation synthesis theory and who proposed it?
It is the biological theory of dreaming proposed by Hobson and McCarley in 1977 stating that dreams were the synthesis of random impulses in the brain that are activated during rem sleep despite no oncoming transmissions are being received.
