Runninghead:ArticleReviewoverChangesinDreamRecallFrequency1

ArticleReviewoverChangesinDreamRecallFrequency
JamesElliottNeal
BelmontUniversity

Runninghead:ArticleReviewoverChangesinDreamRecallFrequency2

ArticleReviewoverChangesinDreamRecallFrequency
Throughsamplingandsurveys,MichaelShredlandAnjaGoritz(2015)areattemptingto
observeanddocumentchangesindreamrecallfrequencyovertheperiodofthreeyears(p.83).
Accordingtotheirstudy,thesamplechosenfortheanalysiswasademographicofmenand
womenbetweentheagesof1689(ShredlandGortitzp.82).Itseemsthatthepurposeofthis
studywastoobservewhetherornottherewasalinkbetweendreamrecallfrequencyandage,as
wellasanyothercorrelationswithgenderorthetypesofdreams.Thisstudybrokedreamsdown
intothreecategories:Nightmaresdescribedasdisturbingdreams,luciddreamsdescribedasthe
personbeingawarethattheyaredreaming,andgeneraldreamsdescribedwithnotspecific
connotation(ShredlandGortizp.84).
Afterthesurveyswerecollectedandanalyzedoveraperiodofthreeyears,theresults
pointedtoaslightdecreaseindreamrecallwiththedeclineofage,butmostpersonssurveyed
recordedthattherewasnochangeorjustaslightchangeoccurringbetweenthosethreeyears
thisappliestoalllistedcategoriesofdreamsaswell.75%ofpeoplereportednoorslightchange
withdreamrecall,67%ofpeoplereportednoorslightchangeinnightmarerecall,and63%of
peoplereportednoorslightchangeinluciddreamrecall(ShredlandGortizp.84).While
observingthecorrelationbetweenageanddreamrecall,thestudydisplayedasignificantdropin
recallasanadolescentemergesintoyoungadulthood.Thischangewaslessobviousinelderly
people(ShredlandGortizp.84).
Thediscussionofthisstudyfocusesmainlyonthedeclineindreamrecallwithinthe
adolescenttoyoungadultdemographic.ShredlandGortizstatesthatthereisasignificantdrop
fromthepointapersonisanadolescenttohisyoungadultyears,andspeculatesthatthereason

Runninghead:ArticleReviewoverChangesinDreamRecallFrequency3

couldbetheshiftingemphasisintoyoungadulthood.Suchasthewayyoungadultstendtobe
thinkingmoreaboutcareerandchildren,andtendtohavelessinnerthoughtsandreflections
(ShredlandGortizp.85).Thediscussiongoesontotalkaboutthespecificdeclineinnightmare
recall,andhowitwouldbeinterestingtostudystresslevelssidebysidewiththisreport.Shredl
andGortizseemtohypothesizethattherewouldbealinkbetweenthetwo,arguingthatstrees
levelsarehighduringyoungadulthoodandlowerinolderadulthood.Thiswouldexplainand
supportthenightmarerecalldecline(ShredlandGortizp.86).
Thediscussionendsbystatingthatdreamrecallislessfrequentasapersonages,butthe
reasonsareinconclusiveandfurtherexaminationwillneedtobedone.Oneofthestrugglesfor
thisstudywasthetimeframegiven.Threeyearsisasmallamountoftimetostudychanges
withindreamrecall,especiallyoneconcerningage.Thestudywouldhaveyieldedsturdierdataif
theprocesswasdoneoverthespanof1015years.Anotherstruggleforthisstudywasthe
intervalsbetweensurveys.Onlytwiceareparticipantsrequiredtofilloutasurveydescribing
theirrecall.Thiscouldbefaultyduetothememoryandrecognitionhumansloseofpastevents,
basicallymakingtheirrecallevenlessaccurate.Abettersituationforthestudywouldbewhat
ShredlandGortizdescribeasalongitudinalstudywithseveralintervalsofsampling.Essentially
thesamestudyoveraperiodof1015yearswithsurveysdonetwiceayeartoaccuratelyportray
therecallfrequency.
Whilereadingthisstudy,Ifoundittobeinterestingbutlackingsubstantialdataforany
conclusions.Yeswecanobserveadeclineinrecalloverthreeyears,butthisreportneedslong
termeffectstomakeassumptionsondreamrecall.Forthesakeofshorttermresearchthough,it

Runninghead:ArticleReviewoverChangesinDreamRecallFrequency4

isinsightfulandgivesotherresearchersafoundationtohypothesizeandproceedwithfurther
testing.
References
Shredl,Michael,andAnjaGoritz."ChangesinDreamRecallFrequency,NightmareFrequency,
andLucidDreamFrequencyOvera3YearPeriod."
AmericanPsychologicalAssociation
(2015).Web.