title: 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.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Electronic address: M.Valasek@sms.ed.ac.uk.
authors: Milan
authors: M
authors: Valášek
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: Caroline
authors: C
authors: Watt
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: Jenny
authors: J
authors: Hutton
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Neill
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: Rachel
authors: R
authors: Nuttall
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: Grace
authors: G
authors: Renwick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003463:Cues; D004325:Dreams / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011340:Problem Solving; D011930:Reaction Time; D012691:Serial Learning; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Change blindness; Implicit learning; Individual differences; Paranormal belief; Precognitive dream; Transliminality