The Journal of Mind and Behavior

Volume 7, Numbers 2 and 3, Spring and Summer 1986 ~ Special Issue, Part 3: Cognitive Structures

The Dream-Scriptor and the Freudian Ego: "Pragmatic Competence" and Superordinate and Subordinate Cognitive Systems in Sleep
Frank Heynick, Eindhoven University of Technology
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Spring and Summer 1986, Vol. 7, Numbers 2 and 3, Pages 299 [169]-332 [202], ISSN 0271-0137, ISBN 0-930195-02-7
On the basis of theoretical and anecdotal literature, as well as a systemayic experiment, a study is made concerning the appropriateness in using verbal language as part of the overall dream scenario. Of particular interest is whether the automaticity of grammatical processes - to which can theoretically be attributed the general syntactic well-formedness of dream dialogue (as recalled and reported) - may also contribute to these processes becoming divorced in sleep from superordinate control systems. An experiment is related in which dream reports were scored for the appropriateness of dialogue to an overall narrative, with results strongly indicating that the dreamer displays a rather high degree of pragmatic competence as well as grammatical proficiency. In this light, recent attempts to reinterpret Freud's dichotomy of primary and secondary processes and their theoretical shifting relationship from states of wakefulness to dreaming are themselves critically reexamined.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Frank Heynick, Ph.D., Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Applied Linguistics Section, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Structural Anthropology and the Psychology of Dreams
Adam Kuper, Brunel University
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Spring and Summer 1986, Vol. 7, Numbers 2 and 3, Pages 333 [203]-344 [214], ISSN 0271-0137, ISBN 0-930195-02-7
Claude Lévi-Strauss developed structuralist methods in anthroplogy, deriving inspiration from the phonological analysis of the linguist Roman Jacobson. His most successful application of structuralist methods has been in his analyses of myths, but - as both Lévi-Strauss and Jacobson independently suggested - the method may be applicable to the analysis of dreams. Attempts have recently been made to develop the structural analysis of dreams, and some exploratory studies are described. The structural analysis of language, myths and dreams has implications for theories of cognition, and these are touched upon in the conclusion.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Adam Kuper, Ph.D., Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, United Kingdom.

Logical Structure and the Cognitive Psychology of Dreaming
Robert E. Haskell, University of New England
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Spring and Summer 1986, Vol. 7, Numbers 2 and 3, Pages 345 [215]-378 [248], ISSN 0271-0137, ISBN 0-930195-02-7
It is suggested that dreaming exhibits logical structures such as either/or and negation relations, but that the modes of expression of logical relations in imaginal processes are different from typical waking modes. While it was Freud who first pointed out such structures in his The Interpretation of Dreams, it is suggested that logical relations in dreaming can be studied independently of the psychoanalytic framework. Historical reasons for the lack of research into the logical structure of dreaming are explored. Preliminary data are presented along with methodological strategies for eliciting logical relations. The validity and definition of dream "content" and dream symbolism are discussed as well as implications for establishing a field of "dream" research. Attention is paid to the concept of abstract feature analysis in cognitive psychology.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Robert Haskell, Ph.D., University of New England, Biddeford, Maine 04005.

Subliminal Perception and Dreaming
Howard Shevrin, University of Michigan Medical Center
The Journal of Mind and Behavior , Spring and Summer 1986, Vol. 7, Numbers 2 and 3, Pages 379 [249]-396 [266], ISSN 0271-0137, ISBN 0-930195-02-7
Research on the relationship between subliminal perception and dreaming initiated interest in the field of subliminal perception. Nevertheless, over the years only a very small number of studies [11] have investigated this relationship. A review of these studies is presented, divided into three sections: (a) early studies of historical and theoretical interest, (b) quasi-clinical, empirical studies, and (c) experimental studies. Essentially, the early findings reported have been borne out by subsequent empirical and experimental studies: (1) much that remains unreported and presumably unconscious following a briefly flashed stimulus is later recovered in dreams, (2) dreams appear to be necessary to recover at least some kinds of transformed or primary process aspects of the briefly presented stimulus. Implications for our understanding of perception, the nature of consciousness, and various states of consciousness are discussed.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Howard Shevrin, Ph.D., University of Michigan Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, 900 Wall Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105-0722.