Sleep and Dreaming | Edexcel GCSE Psychology (1PS0)
Sleep and Dreaming
- 66 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Paper 2
- Paper 2
Sleep and Dreaming is examined in Paper 2, optional (two of five are studied).
It covers sleep stages and the sleep cycle, influences on sleep and sleep disorders, Freud's theory of dreaming and activation synthesis theory and Freud's Little Hans and Siffre's cave study.
Sample questions from Sleep and Dreaming
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Sleep stages and the sleep cycle
Describe stage 2 of sleep.
Show the answer
Stage 2 is a slightly deeper sleep in which heart rate and body temperature fall. Brain activity shows short bursts called sleep spindles. -
Sleep stages and the sleep cycle
What is the sleep cycle?
Show the answer
The sleep cycle is the repeated progression through stages 1 to 4 and then REM sleep. The cycle repeats through the night. -
Influences on sleep and sleep disorders
What is a zeitgeber?
Show the answer
A zeitgeber is an external cue that resets the body clock. Light is the most important zeitgeber for the sleep–wake cycle. -
Influences on sleep and sleep disorders
What are the symptoms of insomnia?
Show the answer
Insomnia involves difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or waking too early. The person then feels tired and irritable, and struggles to concentrate during the day. -
Freud's theory of dreaming and activation synthesis theory
What is symbolisation in dreamwork?
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Symbolisation is the use of an object in a dream to stand for a hidden wish or person. Freud claimed a train entering a tunnel could symbolise sex. -
Freud's theory of dreaming and activation synthesis theory
What is movement inhibition?
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Movement inhibition is the blocking of signals to the muscles during REM sleep. The body is paralysed, so dreams are not acted out. -
Freud's Little Hans and Siffre's cave study
What did Freud conclude about Little Hans's phobia?
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Freud concluded the horse phobia was a displaced fear of Hans's father, linked to the Oedipus complex. The horse's black muzzle and blinkers resembled the father's moustache and glasses. -
Freud's Little Hans and Siffre's cave study
How was Siffre monitored during the cave study?
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Siffre was wired to equipment that recorded his heart and brain activity. The surface team never told Siffre the time.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep stages and the sleep cycle | The functions of sleep and restoration theory, stages 1 to 4 and REM sleep, what happens to the body during REM, and how the sleep cycle changes across the night. | 16 |
| Influences on sleep and sleep disorders | Circadian and ultradian rhythms, the pineal gland, melatonin and light, zeitgebers, jet lag and shift work, and the symptoms and explanations of insomnia and narcolepsy. | 17 |
| Freud's theory of dreaming and activation synthesis theory | Manifest and latent content, dreamwork, condensation, displacement and symbolisation, and Hobson and McCarley's random activation, sensory blockade, movement inhibition and synthesis. | 17 |
| Freud's Little Hans and Siffre's cave study | Freud's case study of Little Hans's horse phobia and its fantasies, and Siffre's months alone in a cave without clues to the time of day. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 891 questions with their answers.