Evaluating activation-synthesis
LO1: To revise the key terms associated with Freud’s dream theory
and Hobson & McCarley’s activation synthesis model.
LO2: To evaluate Hobson & McCarley’s activation synthesis model.
LO3: To compare & contrast Freud’s theory with Hobson &
McCarley’s activation synthesis model of dreaming.
New term…new seats…
WHITEBOARD
Farhan
Jaimie I
Hannah
Jabesh
Boglarka
Daniya
Jaime P
Fabian
Xhoi
Nathan
Jess
Zoe
Nii Alan
Pranita
Ellie
Gurkiran
Molly
Tilly
Maya
Ryan
Jenorth
Robert
Previous

Draw the table below and sift the word soup by placing each of
the 16 key terms into one of the two dream theories.
Key terms
Freud
Hobson & McCarley
1. Sensory Blockade
2. Random Activation
Once you have sifted the
key words make sure you
know what each word
means…
4. Free Association
3. REM Sleep
5. Pons
7. Secondary Elaboration
6. Neurons
8. Displacement
9. Synthesis
10. Condensation
11. Dream Analysis
12. Dreamwork
13. Reticular Activating System
14. Slip of the tongue
15. ECG
16.Electroencephalograph
Soup of the day…
Key terms
Freud
Hobson & McCarley
4. Free association
7. Secondary elaboration
8. Displacement
10. Condensation
11. Dream analysis
12. Dreamwork
14. Slip of the tongue
1. Sensory blockade
2. Random activation
3. REM sleep
5. Pons
6. Neurons
9. Synthesis
13. Reticular activating system
16. Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Quiz 1 – What was your mark?

Be ready to tell me your mark out of 10 on the quiz we completed at the
end of last term.
Evaluating Hobson & McCarley

Last lesson you created a table of strengths and weaknesses.

To ensure you have AT LEAST two key points read the strengths and
weaknesses around the room. Decide whether the following key points
are strengths and weaknesses and then summarise these in your table,
using the information around the room:

Regular REM Sleep

Development of activation-synthesis

Testing cats…how could they?

Activation-synthesis is not so random

Lucid dreaming

Children and dreaming
Strengths
Weaknesses
Strengths
1) Regular REM Sleep

Hobson & McCarley provide an explanation for the regularity of REM
sleep.

During REM sleep people have movement inhibition and sensory
blockade, so there must be something happening in the brain during REM
sleep to produce dreams. They explained this through the random
activation of neurons.

Why is this a strength?
Strengths
2) Development of activation-synthesis

Hobson and McCarley’s theory has been continually developed. Hobson
said that he thought there was ‘meaning’ in dreams and that some ideas
generated by the brain from the random ‘firing’ of neurons could be useful
and give the individual new ideas. Thus, there may be an advantage of
dreaming that has been passed on through natural selection.
E.g. If you wake up with a good idea it might have come from your dreams.

Why is this a strength?
Strengths (continued)
3) Testing cats…how could they?

Hobson and McCarley tested cats to see which areas of the brain were
active during REM sleep. They found that the pons and the reticular
activating system (RAS) seem to be involved in shutting down physical
movement during REM sleep (movement inhibition).

Why is this a strength?
Weaknesses
1) Activation-synthesis is not so random

Many people recognise parts of their dreams as something that happened
the day before or in their lives. This means that thoughts are not as
random as activation-synthesis suggests.

Activation-synthesis theory is based on the idea that dreams often show
unusual, bizarre situations and do not make full sense.

However, in a study only about 34% of 200 dreams did not make logical
sense.

Why is this a weakness?
Weaknesses
2) Lucid dreaming

Lucid dreaming is when people are aware that they are dreaming. This
does not fit with activation-synthesis, as it means dreams are controllable
and not random.

Why is this a weakness?
Weaknesses
3) Children and dreaming…

Young children under the age of 5 seem to have very few dreams and their
dreams are not yet very active, yet they have a normal amount of REM
sleep.

This suggests dreams are not simply linked to REM sleep.

Why is this a weakness?
Evaluating Hobson & McCarley
Strengths
1. Regular REM Sleep
Weaknesses
1. Activation synthesis is not so random
2. Development of activation-synthesis
2. Lucid dreaming
3. Testing cats…how could they?
3. Children and dreaming
Answer the following exam questions:
1) Explain the activation-synthesis model of dreaming (4 marks)
2) Evaluating the activation synthesis model of dreaming (6 marks)
Evaluating activation-synthesis
P
P
LO1: To revise the key terms associated with Freud’s dream theory
and Hobson & McCarley’s activation synthesis model.
LO2: To evaluate Hobson & McCarley’s activation synthesis model.
LO3: To compare & contrast Freud’s theory with Hobson &
McCarley’s activation synthesis model of dreaming.
Quiz 2 – Freudian key terms…
1) What is meant by the term manifest content? (1)
2) What is meant by the term latent content? (1)
3) Name the three components of dreamwork? (3)
4) Explain why Freud would not have agreed with the idea that particular
symbols have specific meaning? (1)
5) Name three methods used in psychoanalysis? (3)
6) Outline one strengths of Freud's dream theory? (1)
7) Outline one weakness of Freud's dream theory? (1)
8)Name two features of a neuron? (2)
9) An electrical signal that travels from the cell body of a neuron to the
terminal buttons is known as what? (1)
10) What are the pons and reticular activating system (RAS) responsbile for?
(1)