Daydreaming

1. Daydreaming D Doan, Brian Gee, Esther Lee, Julie Tran COGS 175 March 5, 2008

2. OVERVIEW • Introduction to daydreaming (Julie) • Content and function (Brian) • Developmental changes (Esther) • Sleepiness and daydreaming study (D)

3. DEFINITION • “Daydreaming represents a shift of attention away from some primary physical or mental task we have set for ourselves, or away from directly looking at or listening to something in the external environment, toward an unfolding sequence of private responses made to some internal stimulus.” -Jerome L. Singer, 1975

4. HISTORY • Negative reputation • Associated with laziness • 1800s – daydreams = self-gratifying attempts at "wish fulfillment” (Nelson) • 1950s – parents warned not to let their children daydream • 1960s – Singer & Antrobus created daydream questionnaire called the Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI)

5. CHARACTERISTICS • Occurs in private world • Begins spontaneously • Triggered by internal or external stimuli or cues (Klinger, 1990) • Deals most often with life concerns • Lack of self-awareness • Dissociation from waking

6. MAJOR FORMS • The ongoing stream of associations, interior monologues and occasional elaborated fantasies of a spontaneous nature associated with particular problems or chains of thought • The repeated, complex fantasies involving self-created, colorful characters who act out evolving story lines

7. CONTENT • Activity-related content • Rehearsal of alternatives • Judgment making • Fantasy-related content • Exploration of “what might be” • Freedom from logical constraints

8. CONTENTButler (2006) • Key structural aspects • Positive orientation • Negative emotional tone • Mind wandering

9. FUNCTIONButler (2006) • Absorption suggests assignment of cognitive resources • Engage unconscious processes • Intuition • Creativity

10. FUNCTION • A form of mental processing • Recall of “current” memories • Resolution of daily issues • Disruption of processing • Depression • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

11. DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES • Age affects frequency and content of daydreams • Giambra (2000) • 1782 women; 1545 men • 17-95 years old • Longitudinal and cross-sectional study • Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI)

12. Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI) (Singer & Antrobus, 1970)

13. Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI) (Singer & Antrobus, 1970)

14. DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGESGiambra (2000) • As age increases… • Daydream frequency ↓ • Absorption or dominance of attention ↓ • Visual imagery ↓

15. DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGESGiambra (2000) • As age increases… • Problem solving daydreams – little change • Bizarre-improbable daydreams – U-shaped age function

16. DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGESGiambra (2000) • As age increases… • Decreased daydreaming in the following types: • Sexual • Heroic • Achievement-oriented • Fear of failure • Hostile • Guilt

17. DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES • What might account for reduced daydreaming with increased age? • Redirection and reduction of attentional resources • Biological degradation in the brain

18. Possible Suggestive Connections betweenSleep & Daydreaming • Decreases in duration of REM as we age • Similar Content • Life concerns list • daydream 65%(Gold and Reilly 1985)≈ night dreams 71% (Nikles et al, 1998) • Auditory imagery • Daydream nearly 50% (Klinger 1993) ≈ REM dream 53%(Zadra et al 1998 )

19. Possible Suggestive Connections betweenSleep & Daydreaming • Similar 90 minute cycle to REM • Kripke and Sonnenschein 1978

20. The Effect of Experimentally Enhanced Daydreaming on an Electroencephalographic Measure of Sleepiness (Pritzl 2003) Hypothesis: Daydreaming as Restoration similar to sleep

21. SLEEPINESS & DAYDREAMING • Experimental Paradigm • Daydream Prevention vs. Daydream Induction • EEG as index of sleepiness/sleep deprivation • (theta/alpha ratio)

22. SLEEPINESS & DAYDREAMING • Hypotheses • Enhancement group ↑ daydreaming than relax group • Enhancement group ↑ decreases in initial level of sleepiness • ill-rested ↑ daydream than well-rested • those who had more daydreaming should have ↑ reduction in sleepiness

23. SLEEPINESS & DAYDREAMING • Results • Hypotheses 1 & 2 were not supported • Hypothesis 3 supported • Hypothesis 4 reversed • those who had more daydreaming should have ↑ reduction in sleepiness, but instead had no less reduction in sleepiness

24. SLEEPINESS & DAYDREAMING • Interpretation • Daydreaming does not compensate for sleep deprivation, but may be a response to sleep deprivation

25. Is daydreaming an alternate state of consciousness? • Involuntary generation • Vivid imagery • Shift in attention • Dissociation from external stimuli • Similarity to other alternate states of consciousness

26. REFERENCES • Butler, L. B. (2006). Normative dissociation. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 29(1), 45. • Giambra, L. (2000). Daydreaming characteristics across the life-span: Age differences and seven to twenty year longitudinal changes. (pp. 147)John Benjamins Publishing Company. • Klinger, E. (1990). Daydreaming. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher. • Pritzl, T. (2003). The effect of experimentally enhanced daydreaming on an electroencephalographic measure of sleepiness. • Singer, J.L. (1975). The inner world of daydreaming. New York: Harper & Row. • Singer, J.L., & Antrobus, J.S. (1970) Manual for the Imaginal Processes Inventory. Princeton, N.J.: Education Testing Service.