Daydreaming

D Doan, Brian Gee, Esther Lee, Julie Tran

COGS 175
March 5, 2008

OVERVIEW

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

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

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)

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

MAJOR FORMS
1.

The ongoing stream of

associations, interior monologues
and occasional elaborated fantasies
of a spontaneous nature associated
with particular problems or chains of
thought

2.

The repeated, complex fantasies

involving self-created, colorful
characters who act out evolving
story lines

CONTENT

Activity-related content
Rehearsal

of alternatives
Judgment making

Fantasy-related content
Exploration

of what might be
Freedom from logical
constraints

CONTENT
Butler (2006)

Key structural aspects

Positive

orientation
Negative emotional tone
Mind wandering

FUNCTION
Butler (2006)

Absorption suggests
assignment of cognitive
resources
Engage unconscious processes
Intuition
Creativity

FUNCTION

A form of mental processing

Recall

of current memories
Resolution of daily issues

Disruption of processing
Depression
Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder

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)

Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI)

(Singer & Antrobus, 1970)

Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI)

(Singer & Antrobus, 1970)

DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES
Giambra (2000)

As age increases
Daydream frequency
Absorption or dominance of
attention
Visual imagery

DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES
Giambra (2000)

As age increases
Problem

solving daydreams little

change
Bizarre-improbable daydreams
U-shaped age function

DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES
Giambra (2000)

As age increases
Decreased

daydreaming in the
following types:
Sexual
Heroic
Achievement-oriented
Fear of failure
Hostile
Guilt

DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES

What might account for reduced

daydreaming with increased
age?
Redirection

and reduction of
attentional resources
Biological degradation in the brain

Possible Suggestive Connections

between
Sleep & 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 )

Possible Suggestive Connections

between
Sleep & Daydreaming
Similar 90 minute cycle to REM
Kripke

and Sonnenschein 1978

The Effect of Experimentally

Enhanced Daydreaming on an
Electroencephalographic
Measure of Sleepiness
(Pritzl 2003)
Hypothesis: Daydreaming as
Restoration similar to sleep

SLEEPINESS & DAYDREAMING

Experimental Paradigm
Daydream

Prevention vs.
Daydream Induction

EEG as index of
sleepiness/sleep deprivation
(theta/alpha

ratio)

SLEEPINESS & DAYDREAMING

Hypotheses
Enhancement

group
daydreaming than relax group
Enhancement group decreases
in initial level of sleepiness
ill-rested daydream than wellrested
those who had more daydreaming
should have reduction in
sleepiness

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

SLEEPINESS &
DAYDREAMING

Interpretation
Daydreaming

does not
compensate for sleep deprivation,
but may be a response to sleep
deprivation

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

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.