Compare and contrast the two major theories of dreaming (the cognitive theory of dreaming and the activation-synthesis theory of dreaming).
What will be an ideal response?
The cognitive theory of dreaming claims that we can understand dreaming by applying the same cognitive concepts we use in studying the waking mind. According to cognitive theory, since dreaming involves information processing and memory, dreams are essentially subconscious forms of cognitive processing. Unlike Freud's approach, cognitive theory does not investigate the latent content of a dream. Instead, dreams are viewed as dramatizations of general life concerns. According to activation-synthesis theory, dreaming occurs when the cerebral cortex synthesizes neural signals generated from activity in the lower part of the brain. From this point of view, dreams are the brain's attempt to make sense of random neural activity. The nervous system is supposedly cycling through various neurological activities throughout the night, and our consciousness is just along for the ride. Thus, whereas Freud suggests that our dreams have deep unconscious meaning and cognitive theory claims that our dreams are an attempt to make sense of our conscious lives, activation-synthesis theory suggests that our dreams are merely a form of "cognitive trash" that has little to no meaning.
You might also like to view...
Questions for which participants formulate their own responses are _____ questions
a. leading b. open-ended c. closed-ended d. loaded
Step 3 in the hypothesis testing procedure is ______.
A. collect your sample data B. state your research question and make a hypotheses about the answer C. set a decision criterion for making a decision about the hypotheses D. make a decision about the hypotheses
As your textbook authors note, every human being on the planet requires certain essentials in order to survive. These include food, shelter, protection, and health, along with other factors. Collectively these are called biological ________
a) pragmatics b) norms c) mores d) universals
Isi was raised by a single father who had his heart broken repeatedly by different women. After seeing his father hurt so often, Isi feels that he cannot trust women. Which one of the following psychologists would most likely explain how prejudice is learned in a way similar to this example?
A. Pavlov B. Skinner C. Tolman D. Bandura