As we fall asleep we forget about the future: a quantitative linguistic analysis of mentation reports from hypnagogia

Jana Speth (Lead / Corresponding author), Astrid M. Schloerscheidt, Clemens Speth

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6 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

We present a quantitative study of mental time travel to the past and future in sleep onset hypnagogia. Three independent, blind judges analysed a total of 150 mentation reports from different intervals prior to and after sleep onset. The linguistic tool for the mentation report analysis grounds on established grammatical and cognitive-semantic theories, and proof of concept has been provided in previous studies. The current results indicate that memory for the future, but not for the past, decreases in sleep onset – thereby supporting preliminary physiological evidence at the level of brain function. While recent memory research emphasizes similarities in the cognitive and physiological processes of mental time travel to the past and future, the current study explores a state of consciousness which may serve to dissociate between the two.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)235-244
Number of pages10
JournalConsciousness and Cognition
Volume45
Early online date22 Sept 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2016

Keywords

  • Memory for the future
  • Mental time travel
  • Sleep onset
  • Hypnagogic
  • Hallucination
  • Dream
  • REM
  • Non-REM
  • States of consciousness
  • Phenomenology

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