Abstract Index Conference Index

ABSTRACT

Accuracy of Dream Recall: II. Data from a "Synthetic Dream"

William H. Moorcroft, Christina Wronkiewicz, Erin Cenefelt, Steven Ondrashek, Jane Hill,
Erika Backstrom, Natalie Stage, Laura Koenig, Devon Whitehead, Angela Sweeny
Luther College

Presenter
William (Bill) H. Moorcroft, Ph.D., Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
Professor of Psychology and Director of the Luther College Sleep and Dreaming Laboratory

4. Summary of Presentation.

Eleven subjects viewed a dream-like video following REMS then recalled it as a dream immediately, again the next morning, a week later, and a month later. Although the gist of the recalled "dream" never varied, considerable detail variation was seen between recalls casting reservations about the accuracy of dream recall.

5. A) Learning Objectives.
1. to evaluate how much of the actual dream content is recalled following a REMS awakening
2. to appreciate how much recall of a dream can change over time
3. to appreciate the individual differences in dream recall accuracy

B) evaluation questions
1. How good is the recall of a dream following REMS awakening?
2. How much does the recall of a dream change with the passage of time?
3. How great are the individual differences in dream recall?

8. Abstract.

In a companion abstract (Accuracy of Dream Recall: I. Data from Real Dreams) recall of a dream appeared to be 1) imperfect following REMS awakening and 2) changed when recalled again three times over the course of a month. However, this conclusion is tempered by the fact that the researchers had no direct access to the original yet differing dreams of each subject. To attempt to remedy this, 15 (11 usable) subjects were shown a 6-minute dream-like segment of Heaven Can Wait following awakening from REMS. The data collection and processing was identical to that used in the companion abstract (with 87.1% agreement between two people who divided each transcribed recall into distinct storyboard elements). Additionally since the original "dream" was available a storyboard was also created from it (86.4% agreement with a second person) for comparison to the recalls.
The mean recall contained only 64.3± 12.7%) of the composite (F(3,30)=0.299; t=-9.367* Vs. 100% recall). The REMS awakening recalls contained a mean of 67.3% (±22.2%) of the composite elements (t=4.889* Vs.100% recall) but of the elements reported following the REMS awakening a mean of 27.8±17.9% were absent from the morning recall, 37.3±15.7% from the week recall, and 38.2±14.0% from the month recall (F(2,20)=3.977* - the morning recall mean was significantly less than the month recall mean; t for each of the recall times respectfully = 5.146*, 7.953*, 9.058* Vs being absent). Additionally the mean composite elements not reported in the REMS awakening recall but added in subsequent recalls was 13.1±9.2% for the morning, 22.6±13.9% for the week, and 21.9±15.2% for the month (F(2,20)=4.416* - the morning recall was significantly less than the other two; t for each of the recall times respectfully = 4.722*, 5.399*, 4.636* Vs 0% additions). (However, often when an element in the REMS awakening report was forgotten another element was remembered in a later report and vice versa.) Finally, a mean of 70.2±17.9%) of the elements added during the morning or week recall were retained in a subsequent recall (F(1,7)=1.058; t=-4.719* Vs. 100% retention and t=11.097 Vs. 0% retention).
A mean of 89.7±10.8% of the composite recall came from the actual "dream" (t=3.148* Vs. 100%) whereas a mean at least 61.9±13.3% of the actual "dream" was missing from the average recall of each subject (F(3,40)=1.903; t=14.718* Vs. 0% missing). Of the elements added to recalls following the REMS awakening recall, a mean of 78.4±32.2% were from the actual dream (F(2,21)=2.22; t=2.06*).
These results are similar in pattern to those presented in the companion abstract and, aside from the gist of the dream, 1) argue accurate recall of dreams, even following a REMS awakening; 2) show there are also significant numbers of omissions and additions with the passage of time to further recalls of the same dream; 3) reveal that individual differences in accuracy of dream recall appear to be great. Additionally, not all of what was recalled was in the actual "dream" and much of the actual "dream" was not recalled.
*p<0.05
References:
Bartlett, F. C. (1932). Remembering: A study in experimental and social psychology. London: Cambridge University Press.
Loftus, Elizabeth F. (1979). Eyewitness testimony. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

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