EFFECTS OF PRESLEEP STIMULI ON DREAMS

This research critiques an article reporting the results of a psychological experiment. The article critiqued is as follows:

Carpenter, Kimberly A. (1988). The effects of positive and negative presleep stimuli on dream experiences. Journal of Psychology, 122(1), 3337.

The findings of the critique are presented in relation to 11 separate factors. These factors are variables, operational definitions, hypotheses, subjects, sample selection, study type, statistical methods and outcomes, conclusions of author, type of design, strengths and weaknesses of design, and methodological critique.

I. The independent variable in the study reported in this article was the type of presleep stimuli. The dependent variable in the study reported in this article was the character of dream content. Dream content was rated on a fivepoint scale that ranged from very positive to very negative.

II. The independent variable presleep stimuli was operationally defined as positive and negative. The positive stimulus was a picture of a couple standing on a deck overlooking the ocean with their arms around one another, The negative stimulus was a picture of dead soldiers in Beirut. The dependent variable dream content was operationally defined in relation to content characterization. Dream content was rated on a threepoint scale that included positive, neutral, and negative as characterization

. . .
motionality of dream experiences. IX. The research design for the study reported in the article was a twoway analysis of variance. The design included one independent variable, one dependent variable, and two subject groups. X. The twoway analysis of variance design is not as powerful as are some other design formats. For the study reported in the article, however, the research objectives were modest; therefore, the research design was adequate. XI. The subject population was appropriate for the research objectives of the experiment reported in the article. The research sample, however, was not adequate. Random procedures were not used in the selection of the subjects for the experiment. The failure to use random selection procedures compromises the researcher's ability to generalize the findings of the experiment beyond the subjects comprising the research sample, although this deficiency did not stop the author from stating generalized conclusions based on the study findings. There also was a major methodological flaw in the procedure followed in the conduct of the experiment. Subjects were exposed to either a positive or a negative picture as a presleep stimulus. What the researcher failed to do was to at a subs
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Journal Psychology, Product Moment, California Davis, presleep stimuli, dream content, reported article, service dogs, WHEELCHAIRS Introduction, CRITIQUE Introduction, study reported, study reported article, Ronald Boltz, Carpenter Kimberly, reader reasonably, reasonably infer, reader reasonably infer, Companions Independence, accompanied service, article reader reasonably, article reader, person wheelchair, accompanied service dogs, character dream content,
Approximate Word count = 2340
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)