Contrast the activation-synthesis hypothesis with the neurocognitive dream theory and include the names of the theorists who proposed each theory and whether or not each is supported by research

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer will include that according to Hobson and McCarley's activation­synthesis hypothesis, several parts of the brain are activated during REM sleep. This triggers sensations, motor commands, and memories. The cortex of the brain, which also becomes more active during REM sleep, synthesizes this activity into stories and visual images. However, frontal areas of the cortex, which control higher mental abilities, are mostly shut down during REM sleep. This explains why dreams are more primitive and more bizarre than daytime thoughts. Viewed this way, dreams are merely a different type of thinking that occurs during sleep. According to William Domhoff's neurocognitive dream theory, dreams actually have much in common with waking thoughts and emotions. Domhoff believed that most dreams reflect ordinary waking concerns because many brain areas that are active when we are awake remain active during dreaming. From this perspective, dreams are a conscious expression of REM sleep processes that are sorting and storing daily experiences.
Each theory has strengths and weaknesses. However, studies of dream content tend to support neurocognitive theory's focus on the continuity between dreams and waking thought, since most dreams reflect everyday events rather than exotic or bizarre content. However, when dreams contain bizarre and unexplained content, such as when you dream you are flying or floating in the air, these dreams tend to support the activation-synthesis hypothesis.