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Module 1.5c

So, does this mean that because dreams serve physiological functions and extend
normal cognition, they are psychologically meaningless? Not necessarily. Every psycho-
logically meaningful experience involves an active brain. We are once again reminded
of a basic principle: Biological and psychological explanations of behavior are partners, not
competitors.

®
AP Science Practice Check Your Understanding
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Not for redistribution.
Examine the Concept Apply the Concept
▶ ▶Explain the theories that propose explanations for why we ▶ ▶Which explanation for why we dream makes the most sense
dream. to you? Explain how this theory would account for your own
dreams.
and sleepwalking. Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Answers to the Examine the Concept questions can be found in Appendix C at the end of the book.

Module 1.5c REVIEW

1.5-8 How does sleep loss affect us? • Fewer than 10 percent of dreams among men, and fewer
still among women, have any sexual content.
• Sleep deprivation causes fatigue and irritability, and it • There are four major contemporary views of the function
impairs concentration and memory consolidation. It can of dreams:
also lead to depression, obesity, joint inflammation, a sup- • Information processing/consolidation: Dreams help
pressed immune system, and slowed performance (with us sort out the day’s events and consolidate them in
greater vulnerability to accidents). memory.
• Physiological function: Regular brain stimulation may
1.5-9 What are the major sleep disorders?
help develop and preserve neural pathways in the
brain.
• Sleep disorders include insomnia (recurring problems in • Neural activation: The brain attempts to make sense of
falling or staying asleep), narcolepsy (sudden uncontrol-
lable sleepiness, sometimes lapsing directly into REM neural “static” by weaving it into a storyline.
sleep), sleep apnea (the repeated stopping of breathing • Cognitive development: Dreams reflect the dream-
while asleep; associated with obesity, especially in men), ers’ level of development — their knowledge and
understanding.
• Most sleep theorists agree that REM sleep and its asso-
1.5-10 What do we dream, and what functions have ciated dreams serve an important function, as shown by
theorists proposed for dreams? the REM rebound that occurs following REM deprivation
in humans and other mammals.
• We usually dream of ordinary events and everyday ex-
periences, with most dreams involving some anxiety or
misfortune.

Sleep: Sleep Loss, Sleep Disorders, and Dreams Module 1.5c 113

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