Dement & Kleitman (1957) Study on Eye Movements During Sleep

These flashcards summarize key concepts and findings from the Dement & Kleitman study on eye movements during sleep, highlighting methodology, results, and applications.

What is the full APA citation for Dement & Kleitman (1957)?

Dement, W., & Kleitman, N. (1957). The relation of eye movements during sleep to dream activity. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 53(5), 339–346.

What was the background to Dement & Kleitman's study?

Aserinsky & Kleitman (1955) observed rapid, conjugate eye movements (REMs) during sleep, finding high dream recall when sleepers were woken during these periods.

What were the THREE aims/approaches of Dement & Kleitman (1957)?

(a) Test dream recall in REM vs. NREM periods; (b) Compare subjective dream duration estimates with the length of REM periods; (c) Relate specific eye movement patterns to dream content.

What were the research methods used?

Laboratory experiment using EEG (electroencephalograph) to measure depth of sleep and EOG (electrooculogram) to record eye movements.

How many participants were there, and what were their demographics?

9 participants: 7 adult males and 2 adult females.

What sampling technique was used?

Opportunity/convenience sampling — participants reported to the lab near their usual bedtime.

Describe the procedure of Dement & Kleitman's study.

Participants reported to the lab, electrodes placed near eyes and on scalp, EEG ran continuously, participants were awakened at various times.

How was dream recall defined as positive?

Participants counted as dreaming only if they could provide a coherent, detailed description of dream content.

What equipment was used, and what did each measure?

EEG measures brain waves and depth of sleep; EOG measures changes in corneoretinal potential as eyes move.

What is the experimental design of Dement & Kleitman?

Repeated measures — each participant was woken in both REM and NREM periods across multiple nights.

What controls were used in Dement & Kleitman?

No communication between experimenter and participant until the participant had committed to a report.

What were the main quantitative results for dream recall?

152 REM awakenings resulted in dream recall; 39 REM awakenings resulted in no recall.

What happened to dream recall in NREM awakenings within 8 minutes of a REM period ending?

5 dreams recalled out of 17 NREM awakenings within 8 min of REM.

What were the findings regarding dream duration estimates?

Most participants judged dream duration with high accuracy after being woken.

What did the correlation between REM duration and dream narrative length show?

Significant positive correlations indicating longer REM resulted in more words in dream narrative.

What were the findings about vertical eye movement patterns and dream content?

Vertical movements were associated with vertical actions in dreams.

What were the findings about horizontal eye movements and little/no movement?

Horizontal movements were rarely observed and corresponded with watching something at a distance.

What was the control condition involving waking participants?

Participants watched activities while awake with electrodes attached to validate measures.

What were the main conclusions of Dement & Kleitman?

Dreaming occurs during discrete REM moments, corresponding to visual imagery.

What are the ethical issues in Dement & Kleitman?

Protection from harm through sleep disruption; consent implied by voluntary participation.

What are two STRENGTHS of Dement & Kleitman's methodology?

1. Use of objective physiological measures increases reliability. 2. Repeated measures design controls for individual differences.

What are two WEAKNESSES of Dement & Kleitman's methodology?

1. Small sample size limits generalizability. 2. Lab setting may reduce ecological validity.

Nature vs. Nurture in Dement & Kleitman?

REM sleep is a biologically innate feature of human sleep.

Individual vs. Situational in Dement & Kleitman?

Dreaming is triggered by a biological sleep cycle.

Application to everyday life — Dement & Kleitman?

Provides a method to study the effects of drugs and stress on dreaming.

Use of children / animals in Dement & Kleitman?

Not applicable: all participants were adults; no animals were used.

What was the average REM period interval for the whole group?

One REM period every 92 minutes on average.

What EEG pattern characterized REM periods?

Low-voltage, relatively fast EEG pattern.

How many total nights and awakenings were recorded?

61 nights total across all 9 participants; 351 total awakenings.

What percentage of awakenings fell in each 2-hour block of sleep?

21% in the first 2 hours; 29% in the second; 28% in the third; 22% in the fourth block.