According to the activation-synthesis hypothesis, it should be possible to predict (with better than chance accuracy) the content of a person's dreams if we know what information about the person?
A) Concentration of serotonin and acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex
B) Number and type of emotional experiences during the day
C) Stimuli currently acting on the body and areas of spontaneous brain activity
D) Time the person went to sleep and the current time

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The activation-synthesis hypothesis suggests that dreams are a result of random neural firings in the brainstem during REM sleep, which are then interpreted and synthesized into a narrative by the cortex. Therefore, knowing the stimuli currently acting on the body (which can influence neural activity) and the areas of spontaneous brain activity (which may indicate which neural networks are active during dreaming) at the time of sleep may help predict the content of a person's dreams. The concentration of serotonin and acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex (A) and the time the person went to sleep and the current time (D) do not necessarily provide relevant information for this hypothesis. The number and type of emotional experiences during the day (B) may influence the content of dreams, but may not be sufficient to predict them with better than chance accuracy according to the activation-synthesis hypothesis.

According to the Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis, It Should Be Possible to Predict