Testing the implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience

Abstract

Seemingly precognitive (prophetic) dreams may be a result of one's unconscious processing of environmental cues and having an implicit inference based on these cues manifest itself in one's dreams. We present two studies exploring this implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience. Study 1 investigated the relationship between implicit learning, transliminality, and precognitive dream belief and experience. Participants completed the Serial Reaction Time task and several questionnaires. We predicted a positive relationship between the variables. With the exception of relationships between transliminality and precognitive dream belief and experience, this prediction was not supported. Study 2 tested the hypothesis that differences in the ability to notice subtle cues explicitly might account for precognitive dream beliefs and experiences. Participants completed a modified version of the flicker paradigm. We predicted a negative relationship between the ability to explicitly detect changes and precognitive dream variables. This relationship was not found. There was also no relationship between precognitive dream belief and experience and implicit change detection.

Individual differences in prophetic dream belief and experience: Exploring demographic and sleep-related correlates

“…Concerning PDs, these include implicit processing of subtle cues from the environment (Valášek et al, 2014), selective recall and propensity to perceive correspondences between randomly-paired stimuli (Watt, Ashley, Gillett, Halewood, & Hanson, 2014), and the incorporation of unconsciously perceived environmental stimuli into dreams (Watt et al, 2015). For example, if a person falls asleep within earshot of the television, a news item may get incorporated into the narrative of their dreams.…”