Currently, I am a visiting postdoc at the Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience at Aarhus University. I am interested in dreaming and mind wandering, their relation and possible functions.
I have recently defended my PhD in Psychology at Eötvös University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary. In my dissertation I examined the phenomenology of dreams, and studied the association between quality of life and content- and form-specific characteristics of dreams. My supervisor was Éva Bányai. My external reviewers were Róbert Bódizs and Dezső Németh.
Previously, I did an MA in Psychology with a specialisation in Clinical and Health Psychology and Personality Psychology, also at ELTE. My thesis investigated the function of repetitive behaviour in autism spectrum disorder. Supervisors: Professor Éva Bányai
Traditionally, dream research focuses on accounting for typical psychological features of dream e... more Traditionally, dream research focuses on accounting for typical psychological features of dream experiences characteristic of different sleep stages in terms of the global physiological features of the sleep stages in question. However, as subtle differences got into the forefront of enquiry, as, for example, in questions concerning between stage similarities and within stage differences of mentations, this methodology became insufficient. What recent findings and theoretical developments suggest is that understanding mental activity during sleep requires studying the fine-grained characteristics of the phenomenal features of individual dreams, which, in turn, demands identifying specific neural processes that might underly different characteristics of the experiences, and tracking their changes not just between, but also within standard sleep stages. The paper argues that such a shift of focus from describing global stages to understanding the significance of local changes results in a true paradigm shift in dream research that can break away from the tradition of thinking about sleep mentation in terms of discrete categories (e.g. REM/NREM, or high/low global activity level), and offers a novel way of looking at dreams (and other conscious experiences) as forming a multi-dimensional continuum.
The goal of this paper is to shed new light on the relation between dream recall and dream experi... more The goal of this paper is to shed new light on the relation between dream recall and dream experiences by providing a thorough analysis of the process that leads to dream reports. Three crucial steps of this process will be distinguished: dream production (the generation of a conscious experience during sleep), dream encoding (storing a trace of this experience in memory), and dream retrieval (accessing the memory trace upon awakening). The first part of the paper will assess how major theories think about the relationship between dream reports and these distinct steps. The second part will systematise how trait and state factors affecting dream recall — given different theoretical assumptions — might interact with dream production, encoding and retrieval. Understanding how the distinct steps of dream recall can be modulated by different factors is crucial for getting a better grip on how to acquire information about these steps empirically, and for drawing methodological conclusions with regard to the tools dream research relies on to collect subjective data about dream experiences. The third part of the paper will analyse how laboratory reports, logs and retrospective scales interact with the different factors that affect the distinct steps leading to dream reports, and will argue that prospective methods provide more direct access to data regarding dream production and encoding than retrospective methods, which — due to their inability to provide systematic control over the factors affecting the retrieval stage screen-off the variability in the production and the encoding of dreams.
Objective: As existing findings are inconclusive, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis ... more Objective: As existing findings are inconclusive, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis of the bizarreness of everyday dreams and to explore its relations to the emotional quality of dreams and the dreamers' quality of life.Method: 61 women's two week long dream journal (502 dreams) were analyzed using two different kinds of scales in order to capture the bizarre qualities of the reports. The emotional qualities of the dreams were also classified. At the end of the dream log participants filled in the WHOQOL-100 questionnaire to evaluate the different aspects of their quality of life. We examined the frequency and distribution of the distinct forms of distortions in every day dreams by using descriptive statistics. We carried out one-way analysis of variance to analyze the connection between the emotional tone of dreams and their bizarreness. To explore how the inter-individual differences in the qualities of dreams relate to the dreamers quality of life, Spearman correlation and Linear regression were calculated.ResultsAccording to our findings, although most home reported dreams contain some bizarre elements, they are rarely extremely unrealistic, and there is also a considerable amount of totally mundane dreams. The distortions are not randomly distributed but are mostly related to those parts of the reports which are created during the process of narrative formation. Our findings implicate substantial individual differences regarding the bizarreness and emotional tone of everyday dreams, and both of them correlate with some aspects of the subject's quality of life.Conclusions:Those theories should be favored, which can accommodate both unrealistic and totally mundane reports, and can account for the interpersonal differences in this quality of dreams.
Repetitive behaviours in general are present in different neurological, psychiatric and developme... more Repetitive behaviours in general are present in different neurological, psychiatric and developmental disorders, but certain types of these behaviours are characteristically autism-specific. Some theories take them as overt outputs of neurological and biochemical deficits, others invest them with adaptive functions. After outlining the main approaches a new theory is introduced concerning the possible function of repetitive behaviours, according to which these repetitions induce a certain altered state of consciousness, generated by the given individual for herself, aiming at a calming-effect via reducing the arousal-level. The aim of this paper is to reflect upon theoretically whether the neurochemical and neuroanatomical mechanisms behind repetitive behaviours in autistic spectrum disorder induce or contra-induce the formation of an altered state of consciousness. This problem – over and above its scientific significance – might contribute to the understanding of the nature of repetitive behaviours from a point of view quite ignored so far: that of subjective experiences accompanying overt behaviour. On the other hand, revealing the possible functions of these repetitions might serve as a basis for elaborating appropriate reactions to repetitive behaviours in clinical therapy. (in Hungarian)
In recent years, researchers from independent subfields have begun to engage with the idea that t... more In recent years, researchers from independent subfields have begun to engage with the idea that the same cortical regions that contribute to on-line perception are recruited during and underlie off-line activities such as information maintenance in working memory, mental imagery, hallucinations, dreaming, and mind wandering. Accumulating evidence suggests that in all of these cases the activity of posterior brain regions provides the contents of experiences. This article is intended to move one step further by exploring specific links between the vividness of experiences, which is a characteristic feature of consciousness regardless of its actual content, and certain properties of the content-specific neural-activity patterns. Investigating the mechanisms that underlie mental imagery and its relation to working memory and the processes responsible for mind wandering and its similarities to dreaming form two clusters of research that are in the forefront of the recent scientific stud...
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, Jan 19, 2018
This paper approaches the debate whether perceptual consciousness requires cognitive access from ... more This paper approaches the debate whether perceptual consciousness requires cognitive access from the perspective of dream studies, and investigates what kind of findings could support the opposing views of this debate. Two kinds of arguments are discussed, one that claims that the hypoactivity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in rapid eye movement sleep is directly relevant, and another that proposes that locating the neural correlates of dream experiences can indirectly inform the debate. It is argued that under closer reflection, neither the classical claim about dorsolateral prefrontal cortex hypoactivity nor the more recent emphasis on general posterior hot zone activity during dreaming stand up to scrutiny. White dreaming is identified as the phenomenon that, nevertheless, holds the most promise to have an impact on the debate. Going beyond the topic if studying dreams can contribute to this debate, it is argued that cognitive access is not a monolithic phenomenon, and its...
A repetitív viselkedések több neurológiai, pszichiátriai diagnózisú betegség és különböző fejlődé... more A repetitív viselkedések több neurológiai, pszichiátriai diagnózisú betegség és különböző fejlődési zavarok esetén is megjelennek, ám bizonyos fajtái kimondottan autizmusspecifikusnak tekinthetők. Egyes elméletek –a neurológiai, biokémiai deficitből fakadó –mechanizmusok viselkedéses következményének tekintik ezeket, mások különb__
Thesis committee Head of committee: Prof. György Bárdos, Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Secr... more Thesis committee Head of committee: Prof. György Bárdos, Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Secretary: Dr. Ferenc Köteles, Habil. Associate Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Reviewers: Prof. Dezső Németh, Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Dr. Róbert Bódizs, Habil. Senior Researcher, Deputy Director of Research, Semmelweis University Members: Dr. Annamária V. Komlósi, Honorary Associate Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Dr. Adrien P. Rigó, Assistant Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Prof. Márta Csabai, Professor, University of Szeged Substitute member: Prof. Judit Balázs, Professor, Eötvös Loránd University
The goal of this paper is to shed new light on the relation between dream recall and dream experi... more The goal of this paper is to shed new light on the relation between dream recall and dream experiences by providing a thorough analysis of the process that leads to dream reports. Three crucial steps of this process will be distinguished: dream production (the generation of a conscious experience during sleep), dream encoding (storing a trace of this experience in memory), and dream retrieval (accessing the memory trace upon awakening). The first part of the paper will assess how major theories think about the relationship between dream reports and these distinct steps. The second part will systematise how trait and state factors affecting dream recall — given different theoretical assumptions — might interact with dream production, encoding and retrieval. Understanding how the distinct steps of dream recall can be modulated by different factors is crucial for getting a better grip on how to acquire information about these steps empirically, and for drawing methodological conclusions with regard to the tools dream research relies on to collect subjective data about dream experiences. The third part of the paper will analyse how laboratory reports, logs and retrospective scales interact with the different factors that affect the distinct steps leading to dream reports, and will argue that prospective methods provide more direct access to data regarding dream production and encoding than retrospective methods, which — due to their inability to provide systematic control over the factors affecting the retrieval stage — screen-off the variability in the production and the encoding of dreams.
Objective: As existing findings are inconclusive, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis ... more Objective: As existing findings are inconclusive, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis of the bizarreness of everyday dreams and to explore its relations to the emotional quality of dreams and the dreamers’ quality of life.Method: 61 women’s two week long dream journal (502 dreams) were analyzed using two different kinds of scales in order to capture the bizarre qualities of the reports. The emotional qualities of the dreams were also classified. At the end of the dream log participants filled in the WHOQOL-100 questionnaire to evaluate the different aspects of their quality of life. We examined the frequency and distribution of the distinct forms of distortions in every day dreams by using descriptive statistics. We carried out one-way analysis of variance to analyze the connection between the emotional tone of dreams and their bizarreness. To explore how the inter-individual differences in the qualities of dreams relate to the dreamers quality of life, Spearman correlation and Linear regression were calculated.ResultsAccording to our findings, although most home reported dreams contain some bizarre elements, they are rarely extremely unrealistic, and there is also a considerable amount of totally mundane dreams. The distortions are not randomly distributed but are mostly related to those parts of the reports which are created during the process of narrative formation. Our findings implicate substantial individual differences regarding the bizarreness and emotional tone of everyday dreams, and both of them correlate with some aspects of the subject’s quality of life. Conclusions: Those theories should be favored, which can accommodate both unrealistic and totally mundane reports, and can account for the interpersonal differences in this quality of dreams.
Hobson's AIM theory offers a general framework for thinking about states of consciousness like wa... more Hobson's AIM theory offers a general framework for thinking about states of consciousness like wakefulness, REM dreaming and NREM mentations in terms of a state space defined by the dimensions of the level of brain activity, the source of input, and the type of neurochemical modulation. This account inspired theoretical models of other altered states of consciousness-including hypnosis-claiming that studying REM dreaming can advance our understanding of these phenomena as well. However, recent developments showed that hypnosis is not a sleep like stage, and that the REM-centric attitude toward dreaming is mistaken. At the same time, the advancement of the neuro-cognitive theory claiming that dreaming and mind-wandering are on a continuum both underlain by default-mode network activity called many aspects of the AIM theory into question. Our aim in this paper is to show that certain hypnotic states-hypnotic dreams (experiences that subjects have in a hypnotic state as a result of an explicit suggestion to have a dream)-can, nevertheless, be highly relevant for the neuro-cognitive theory, and that their comparison with dreaming and mind-wandering has the potential to advance the field in unexpected ways.
Traditionally, dream research focuses on accounting for typical psychological features of dream e... more Traditionally, dream research focuses on accounting for typical psychological features of dream experiences characteristic of different sleep stages in terms of the global physiological features of the sleep stages in question. However, as subtle differences got into the forefront of enquiry, as, for example, in questions concerning between stage similarities and within stage differences of mentations, this methodology became insufficient. What recent findings and theoretical developments suggest is that understanding mental activity during sleep requires studying the fine-grained characteristics of the phenomenal features of individual dreams, which, in turn, demands identifying specific neural processes that might underly different characteristics of the experiences, and tracking their changes not just between, but also within standard sleep stages. The paper argues that such a shift of focus from describing global stages to understanding the significance of local changes results in a true paradigm shift in dream research that can break away from the tradition of thinking about sleep mentation in terms of discrete categories (e.g. REM/NREM, or high/low global activity level), and offers a novel way of looking at dreams (and other conscious experiences) as forming a multi-dimensional continuum.
The goal of this paper is to shed new light on the relation between dream recall and dream experi... more The goal of this paper is to shed new light on the relation between dream recall and dream experiences by providing a thorough analysis of the process that leads to dream reports. Three crucial steps of this process will be distinguished: dream production (the generation of a conscious experience during sleep), dream encoding (storing a trace of this experience in memory), and dream retrieval (accessing the memory trace upon awakening). The first part of the paper will assess how major theories think about the relationship between dream reports and these distinct steps. The second part will systematise how trait and state factors affecting dream recall — given different theoretical assumptions — might interact with dream production, encoding and retrieval. Understanding how the distinct steps of dream recall can be modulated by different factors is crucial for getting a better grip on how to acquire information about these steps empirically, and for drawing methodological conclusions with regard to the tools dream research relies on to collect subjective data about dream experiences. The third part of the paper will analyse how laboratory reports, logs and retrospective scales interact with the different factors that affect the distinct steps leading to dream reports, and will argue that prospective methods provide more direct access to data regarding dream production and encoding than retrospective methods, which — due to their inability to provide systematic control over the factors affecting the retrieval stage screen-off the variability in the production and the encoding of dreams.
Objective: As existing findings are inconclusive, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis ... more Objective: As existing findings are inconclusive, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis of the bizarreness of everyday dreams and to explore its relations to the emotional quality of dreams and the dreamers' quality of life.Method: 61 women's two week long dream journal (502 dreams) were analyzed using two different kinds of scales in order to capture the bizarre qualities of the reports. The emotional qualities of the dreams were also classified. At the end of the dream log participants filled in the WHOQOL-100 questionnaire to evaluate the different aspects of their quality of life. We examined the frequency and distribution of the distinct forms of distortions in every day dreams by using descriptive statistics. We carried out one-way analysis of variance to analyze the connection between the emotional tone of dreams and their bizarreness. To explore how the inter-individual differences in the qualities of dreams relate to the dreamers quality of life, Spearman correlation and Linear regression were calculated.ResultsAccording to our findings, although most home reported dreams contain some bizarre elements, they are rarely extremely unrealistic, and there is also a considerable amount of totally mundane dreams. The distortions are not randomly distributed but are mostly related to those parts of the reports which are created during the process of narrative formation. Our findings implicate substantial individual differences regarding the bizarreness and emotional tone of everyday dreams, and both of them correlate with some aspects of the subject's quality of life.Conclusions:Those theories should be favored, which can accommodate both unrealistic and totally mundane reports, and can account for the interpersonal differences in this quality of dreams.
Repetitive behaviours in general are present in different neurological, psychiatric and developme... more Repetitive behaviours in general are present in different neurological, psychiatric and developmental disorders, but certain types of these behaviours are characteristically autism-specific. Some theories take them as overt outputs of neurological and biochemical deficits, others invest them with adaptive functions. After outlining the main approaches a new theory is introduced concerning the possible function of repetitive behaviours, according to which these repetitions induce a certain altered state of consciousness, generated by the given individual for herself, aiming at a calming-effect via reducing the arousal-level. The aim of this paper is to reflect upon theoretically whether the neurochemical and neuroanatomical mechanisms behind repetitive behaviours in autistic spectrum disorder induce or contra-induce the formation of an altered state of consciousness. This problem – over and above its scientific significance – might contribute to the understanding of the nature of repetitive behaviours from a point of view quite ignored so far: that of subjective experiences accompanying overt behaviour. On the other hand, revealing the possible functions of these repetitions might serve as a basis for elaborating appropriate reactions to repetitive behaviours in clinical therapy. (in Hungarian)
In recent years, researchers from independent subfields have begun to engage with the idea that t... more In recent years, researchers from independent subfields have begun to engage with the idea that the same cortical regions that contribute to on-line perception are recruited during and underlie off-line activities such as information maintenance in working memory, mental imagery, hallucinations, dreaming, and mind wandering. Accumulating evidence suggests that in all of these cases the activity of posterior brain regions provides the contents of experiences. This article is intended to move one step further by exploring specific links between the vividness of experiences, which is a characteristic feature of consciousness regardless of its actual content, and certain properties of the content-specific neural-activity patterns. Investigating the mechanisms that underlie mental imagery and its relation to working memory and the processes responsible for mind wandering and its similarities to dreaming form two clusters of research that are in the forefront of the recent scientific stud...
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, Jan 19, 2018
This paper approaches the debate whether perceptual consciousness requires cognitive access from ... more This paper approaches the debate whether perceptual consciousness requires cognitive access from the perspective of dream studies, and investigates what kind of findings could support the opposing views of this debate. Two kinds of arguments are discussed, one that claims that the hypoactivity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in rapid eye movement sleep is directly relevant, and another that proposes that locating the neural correlates of dream experiences can indirectly inform the debate. It is argued that under closer reflection, neither the classical claim about dorsolateral prefrontal cortex hypoactivity nor the more recent emphasis on general posterior hot zone activity during dreaming stand up to scrutiny. White dreaming is identified as the phenomenon that, nevertheless, holds the most promise to have an impact on the debate. Going beyond the topic if studying dreams can contribute to this debate, it is argued that cognitive access is not a monolithic phenomenon, and its...
A repetitív viselkedések több neurológiai, pszichiátriai diagnózisú betegség és különböző fejlődé... more A repetitív viselkedések több neurológiai, pszichiátriai diagnózisú betegség és különböző fejlődési zavarok esetén is megjelennek, ám bizonyos fajtái kimondottan autizmusspecifikusnak tekinthetők. Egyes elméletek –a neurológiai, biokémiai deficitből fakadó –mechanizmusok viselkedéses következményének tekintik ezeket, mások különb__
Thesis committee Head of committee: Prof. György Bárdos, Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Secr... more Thesis committee Head of committee: Prof. György Bárdos, Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Secretary: Dr. Ferenc Köteles, Habil. Associate Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Reviewers: Prof. Dezső Németh, Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Dr. Róbert Bódizs, Habil. Senior Researcher, Deputy Director of Research, Semmelweis University Members: Dr. Annamária V. Komlósi, Honorary Associate Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Dr. Adrien P. Rigó, Assistant Professor, Eötvös Loránd University Prof. Márta Csabai, Professor, University of Szeged Substitute member: Prof. Judit Balázs, Professor, Eötvös Loránd University
The goal of this paper is to shed new light on the relation between dream recall and dream experi... more The goal of this paper is to shed new light on the relation between dream recall and dream experiences by providing a thorough analysis of the process that leads to dream reports. Three crucial steps of this process will be distinguished: dream production (the generation of a conscious experience during sleep), dream encoding (storing a trace of this experience in memory), and dream retrieval (accessing the memory trace upon awakening). The first part of the paper will assess how major theories think about the relationship between dream reports and these distinct steps. The second part will systematise how trait and state factors affecting dream recall — given different theoretical assumptions — might interact with dream production, encoding and retrieval. Understanding how the distinct steps of dream recall can be modulated by different factors is crucial for getting a better grip on how to acquire information about these steps empirically, and for drawing methodological conclusions with regard to the tools dream research relies on to collect subjective data about dream experiences. The third part of the paper will analyse how laboratory reports, logs and retrospective scales interact with the different factors that affect the distinct steps leading to dream reports, and will argue that prospective methods provide more direct access to data regarding dream production and encoding than retrospective methods, which — due to their inability to provide systematic control over the factors affecting the retrieval stage — screen-off the variability in the production and the encoding of dreams.
Objective: As existing findings are inconclusive, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis ... more Objective: As existing findings are inconclusive, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis of the bizarreness of everyday dreams and to explore its relations to the emotional quality of dreams and the dreamers’ quality of life.Method: 61 women’s two week long dream journal (502 dreams) were analyzed using two different kinds of scales in order to capture the bizarre qualities of the reports. The emotional qualities of the dreams were also classified. At the end of the dream log participants filled in the WHOQOL-100 questionnaire to evaluate the different aspects of their quality of life. We examined the frequency and distribution of the distinct forms of distortions in every day dreams by using descriptive statistics. We carried out one-way analysis of variance to analyze the connection between the emotional tone of dreams and their bizarreness. To explore how the inter-individual differences in the qualities of dreams relate to the dreamers quality of life, Spearman correlation and Linear regression were calculated.ResultsAccording to our findings, although most home reported dreams contain some bizarre elements, they are rarely extremely unrealistic, and there is also a considerable amount of totally mundane dreams. The distortions are not randomly distributed but are mostly related to those parts of the reports which are created during the process of narrative formation. Our findings implicate substantial individual differences regarding the bizarreness and emotional tone of everyday dreams, and both of them correlate with some aspects of the subject’s quality of life. Conclusions: Those theories should be favored, which can accommodate both unrealistic and totally mundane reports, and can account for the interpersonal differences in this quality of dreams.
Hobson's AIM theory offers a general framework for thinking about states of consciousness like wa... more Hobson's AIM theory offers a general framework for thinking about states of consciousness like wakefulness, REM dreaming and NREM mentations in terms of a state space defined by the dimensions of the level of brain activity, the source of input, and the type of neurochemical modulation. This account inspired theoretical models of other altered states of consciousness-including hypnosis-claiming that studying REM dreaming can advance our understanding of these phenomena as well. However, recent developments showed that hypnosis is not a sleep like stage, and that the REM-centric attitude toward dreaming is mistaken. At the same time, the advancement of the neuro-cognitive theory claiming that dreaming and mind-wandering are on a continuum both underlain by default-mode network activity called many aspects of the AIM theory into question. Our aim in this paper is to show that certain hypnotic states-hypnotic dreams (experiences that subjects have in a hypnotic state as a result of an explicit suggestion to have a dream)-can, nevertheless, be highly relevant for the neuro-cognitive theory, and that their comparison with dreaming and mind-wandering has the potential to advance the field in unexpected ways.
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