Michelle:
On the baby issue, they show the same swings through the sleep cycle as
we do, and the same REM symptoms (smiles, REM), so it's safe to assume their
REM is filled with dreams, as is ours. But some differences. Infants will
spend much more time in REM than us, and total REM decreases as they
progress into childhood. The REM decreases at the same rate their waking and
active states increase (time in slow wave doesn't change as much). So it's
reasonable to assume that REM time gets replaced with active, alert time (as
if the brain is determined to be awake 12 - 16 hours a day - one way or
another). I also remember that the transitions between states are different
- infants can transition from awake to REM more readily than us (we have to
go through slow wave before REM). Sorry, no references handy, just clinical
observations.
According to Gray's (Intro Psych.) summary of Allison & Cicchetti (1976)
(Science, Vol 194, p. 732 ff) article "Sleep in mammals: ecological and
consitutional correlates" large grazing animals sleep only a few hours a day
- presumably because they have to spend most of the day chewing. One would
assume cows are awake, but resting, while they graze and chew (maybe they
are like moose - they DO notice you as they appoach, but their evolutionary
history doesn't include human predators so they act in a manner than strikes
us as "aloof.").
Michelle Miller wrote:
> Hello all -
>
> Am de-lurking to ask for help on two sleep & dreaming questions emailed
> to me by a 101 student:
>
> (1)Would you comment on the behaviour of ruminants (cows) that chew the
> cud at
> night or during the day with closed eyes. Has anyone established whether
> they
> are asleep or not? The reason why I think they may be asleep or half
> asleep
> is that you can actually get very close without them noticing that you
> are
> there.
> (2)Have you ever noticed that some babies smile or even laugh while they
> are
> asleep? Is that some form of dreams or just a reflex?
>
> As I'm a memory/psycholinguistics specialist, I haven't the foggiest as
> to whether cows sleep while cud-chewing or whether babies smile in
> dreams...ideas much appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -- Michelle Miller
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Psychology
> Northern Arizona University
> Flagstaff, AZ 86001-5106
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~mdm29/
--
---------------------------------------------------------------
John W. Kulig [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Psychology http://oz.plymouth.edu/~kulig
Plymouth State College tel: (603) 535-2468
Plymouth NH USA 03264 fax: (603) 535-2412
---------------------------------------------------------------
"What a man often sees he does not wonder at, although he knows
not why it happens; if something occurs which he has not seen before,
he thinks it is a marvel" - Cicero.
