Changes in the effects of a waking subliminal stimulus as a function of dreaming and nondreaming sleep.

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to see if the presleep waking state, Stage I, and Stage II sleep could be distinguished on the basis of thought processes paralleling the psychoanalytic concept of primary-and secondaryprocess thinking. A special subliminal technique was used which elicited primary-and secondary-process levels of responses to the same stimulus. It was hypothesized that Stage I would show more evidence of primaryprocess thinking and Stage II more evidence of secondary-process thinking. These hypotheses were supported by results from free associations obtained during the presleep waking state and after awakenings from Stage I and Stage II sleep, but were not supported by sleep reports or freely evoked images. The bearing of these findings on understanding the sleep-dream cycle is discussed.

Event-related potential indicators of the dynamic unconscious

“…These clang and rebus associations were considered similar to the displacements and condensations occurring in dreams and slips that often use phonetic rather than semantic links. Shevrin and Fisher (1967) demonstrated that subliminal clang and rebus associates to the "penny" rebus occurred after wakenings from Stage 1 REM sleep and semantic associations (i.e. ink, leg) occurred after wakenings from Stage 2 NREM sleep and that both effects were greater than those in associations obtained in the waking state.…”

“…Research within a psychoanalytic frame of reference has concentrated on the third set of factorsaffect, defensive organization, motivation, and conflict. Interestingly, very little research has been done on state factors (however, see Shevrin & Fisher, 1967;Stross & Shevrin, 1967;Castaldo & Shevrin, 1970).…”

From Dynamic Lesions to Brain Imaging of Behavioral Lesions: Response to Commentaries

“…The broader psychoanalytic constituents, including motivation and expectation, play important roles in suggestion and modulate brain processes. Furthermore, Shevrin and his collaborators have provided both theoretical accounts (Shevrin & Fisher, 1967) and empirical evidence (Snodgrass, Shevrin, & Kopka, 1993) that have helped shed light on the effects that dreams and extremely brief subliminal exposures hold for unconscious processing.…”

An exploratory study of the effects of emotionally toned incidental stimuli1

“…The mcidental stimulus was one of two tape recordings which was played m the next room at a volume such that it could easily be heard m the expenmental room if the subject focused on it but which was not so mtrusive as to mtemipt what he was domg For subjects assigned to Group I, the stimulus was a senes of scenes from the play A View from the Bridge (VB) These scenes were all arguments 3 The exact lnstructicms were identical to those given by Shevnn and Fisher {1967) 4 The early memory prtx:«dure was mcluded for purposes of a study other tlian that reported here and will not be dealt with m this article between various characters, diffenng m their content but uniformly beUigerent m tone At the volume it was played, and with distortion caused by the tape recorder and by its bemg heard through the walls, it was di£Bcult to make out clearly what was bemg said The angry tone was readily apparent, however, and all subjects, when later mterviewed, perceived it as such For subjects assigned to Croup II, the stimulus consisted of portions of the French operetta Les Cloches de Comevtlle by Planquette, mterspersed with laughter and bnef segments of cockta J partv chatter, with hght music m the background The entire stimulus was qmte gay and lyncal Smce the operetta was sung m French, its verbal content was not available to the subjects, the words bemg said by the partygoers were mostly drowned m the general hum of the party For vanous reasons, 40 subjects were assigned to the VB condition and 20 to the music condition.…”