Abstract
Thirty-six mentation reports (24 dream reports and 12 simulated dream reports) were provided by six subjects during experimental sessions. Dream reports were collected upon REM and Sleep Onset experimental awakenings. Artificial reports were obtained by asking the subject: “Try to invent a dream and tell me it as you go along.” To detect differences between the two types of reports, comparisons along seven structural dimensions were carried out. These dimensions included self-involvement, continuity, temporal attributes, implausibility, and three types of bizarreness. None of the analyses performed yielded significant results. Moreover, three groups of thirty judges each were unable to distinguish real from artificial reports at a rate greater than chance. Results are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that cognitive processing involved in dream production is not unique to the sleeping state.
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