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Colloquium credits

Presentation Master's thesis - Zoe Prast - Brain & Cognition

Colloquium credits

Presentation Master's thesis - Zoe Prast - Brain & Cognition

Last modified on 26-06-2025 17:01
Sensory experience and emotionality of dreams in individuals with Aphantasia compared to individuals without
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event-summary.start-date
03-07-2025 15:40
event-summary.end-date
03-07-2025 16:40
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Roeterseilandcampus - Gebouw C, Straat: Nieuwe Achtergracht 129-B, Ruimte: GS.02. Vanwege beperkte zaalcapaciteit is deelname op basis van wie het eerst komt, het eerst maalt. Leraren moeten zich hieraan houden.

Aphantasia is a condition in which individuals have an inability concerning visual, auditory, tactile, gustation, and olfactory mental imagery. This condition has mostly been researched concerning day-time inability, however research has shown that similar problems occur during dreams. Research on the general population has shown that when dreaming individuals can experience all sensory domains. Furthermore, research has shown there is a relationship between sensory richness and the emotionality of dreams, and that the aphantasia population shows an altered emotional response during the daytime.  This study wishes to research the difference between sensory experiences in dreams in individuals with and without aphantasia. Furthermore, this research wishes to explore the relationship between sensory richness and the emotionality of dreams in aphantasia and compare it to the general population, by using a dream diary which questions sensory experiences during dreams. Participants had to fill in this diary upon awaking for seven days straight in a home-based setting (n=243 diaries). To group the participants the Vividness Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) was used. The results showed no significant difference between the two groups on sensory experiences during dreams and no correlations in either group between sensory richness and the emotionality of dreams. A possible reason for these results was that the sample size was quite low, causing the study to not be sensitive enough. Thus, future research needs to be done with a higher sample size to conclude anything.