Paul Barnabic Psychology AP Dr.

Rosenfeld May 15, 2013 Part 1 I do not think it is possible for other individuals to enter an individuals dream. However, I do think that certain aspects of Inception are possible. In many ways the actions they take in the movie reflect lucid dreaming. Lucid Dreaming occurs when an individual becomes aware that they are dreaming and are able to engage in logical thinking (McNamara, 2012). In a lucid dream, individuals, similar to the architect, can control various aspects of the dream. However, like the architect, the individual cannot control the actions of the characters in the dreams. Like in Inception, this limitation can create issues for the dreamer and may evolve into Lucid Nightmares. Although the invasion into another persons dream is impossible, many aspects of Inception realistic. Part 2 In this movie, references are made to the nature of sleep. What is known about the physiology of sleep and dreams? Sleep follows a specific pattern. As one begins to sleep they enter NREM, which contains four phases. As one progresses in the stages, brain activity decreases. All four of the stages of NREM in total take about 70 minutes. In the first stage, sensations begin to cease. In the second stage, there are brief periods of brain activity but mostly there is a decrease in activity. During this stage breathing begins to follow a rhythmic pattern. In Stage 3, delta brain waves represent more than twenty percent of all brain activity. In stage 4, delta waves encompass all of the brain activity and an individual is completely isolated from his surroundings. Following NREM, there is REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement and during this stage the brain is very active and dreams are likely to occur. REM involves variable vitals and the darting of eyes. After REM, the sleeper cycles back and forth between REM and NREM. In this movie, references are made to the dream state of sleep. What are some theories on the psychological and physiological purpose of dreams? There are two theories surrounding the purpose of sleep: The Restorative Theory of Sleep and The Adaptive Theory of Sleep. The Restorative theory of sleep suggests, that sleep and dreaming are essential to normal physical and mental functioning (Hockenbury and Hockenbury). In the restorative theory, NREM sleep restores the physiological issues of the body while REM is meant to restore the mind. Often during NREM sleep many hormone levels are increases while in REM sleep brain development occurs. In the Adaptive Theory of Sleep, sleep is believed to be the

result of evolutionary processes essential to continued existence. Animals that are more hunted tend to sleep less and at different times than animals that are dominant. In this movie, several scenes are psychedelic in nature. Could these perceptions be the result of psychoactive drugs? It is very possible that some of Dom Cobbs experiences are the result of psychoactive drugs. Dom Cobb experiences both flashbacks and long-term psychological instability. Often Dom sees flashbacks of his children and Mal when he travels in other peoples dreams. Additionally, Doms projections suggest that Dom himself is unsure on whether he is in actual reality or is dreaming. This lack of mental security leads him to anguish and stress. Both flashbacks and psychological instability are characteristics of LSD suggesting that Dom himself may abuse the drug. In this movie, references are made to the subconscious mind. What is the subconscious mind? What psychologist is most famous for his theories on the subconscious mind? What other psychologists have attempted to define or describe it. The subconscious mind refers to mental activity that an individual is unaware of. Sigmund Freud is well known for his work with the subconscious mind and psychoanalysis. In addition to Freud, many other great psychologists such as the Neo-Freudians have studied this level of consciousness. One important researcher of sub-consciousness was Pierre Janet who actually coined the term. In this movie, it is suggested that a mark can train their mind to defend against an extractor. How does this relate to hypnotic dissociation and hidden observer effects? Hypnotic Dissociation is a hypnotically induced splitting of consciousness during which multiple forms of awareness exist(quizlet.com). Hidden Observer Effect is a demonstration of both responsiveness to the hypnotic instruction and an ability to attend selectively to important external input(quizlet.com). Hypnotic Dissociation can be used to explain the projections. The projections could explain one stream of thought while the dreamers experience of the dream could represent another stream of thought. While the dreamer is aware of the plot of the dream, the projections are aware of foreign intrusions in the mind. To relate to the hidden observer effect, the projections may serve as hidden observers aware of outside forces acting on the dreamers mind. If the projections are trained to pick up on certain things, the mind as a whole may be able to defend itself better and can be considered militarized. Part 3

In this movie, references are made to the concept of perception. What is perception? How does it differ from sensation? Will there ever be ways to study it scientifically? Perception is the process of integrating, organizing, and interpreting sensations. Sensation is the process of detecting a physical stimulus. Perception differs from sensation because perception is how ones body or mind interprets something that is felt, heard, or seen instead of just a physical acknowledgement. There will be ways to study perception scientifically as there are now. Many psychologists currently study how culture and society affect perception. These scientists have found that certain optical illusions, such as the Muller-Lyer, only work in some cultures. This illustrates that perception is subjective. As time progresses, I am sure that more experiments and studies will be conducted further distinguishing perception and sensation. In this movie, it is said that an implanted thought becomes a memory and can never be removed. Would you agree with this statement? Include the distinction between implicit and explicit memories in your response. I agree with the statement that once a memory is planted it cannot be removed. I feel this idea reflects the Long Term Memory (LT) stage of memory. Psychologists believe that once a memory is sent to LT, it is permanent. Another important aspect of this statement is that a person could forever remember something but not recall it. Memories that can be recalled are classified as Explicit Memory. Memories that are stored but cannot be recalled are known as implicit memories. To relate this to the movie, it is very possible that the idea is successfully planted in Fischers mind but he does not recall it at all proving Cobb unsuccessful. If this were to occur, the idea to break up the empire would be considered implicit. Part4: Many aspects of this film are terrifying. One of the most daunting ideas of the film is that no one and nothing is safe from this procedure. Anyone one at anytime can access ones deepest and most private thoughts and past experiences and manipulate them to result in the individual taking radical and possibly detrimental actions. In the film we see that even the rich and power are susceptible to this if the money and resources are used or spent in the right place. If someone were to do this to world leaders, the results could be catastrophic and likely deadly. If such technology were to exist I feel that it would result in increased paranoia throughout the civilized world.