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The case against memory consolidation in REM sleep: Balderdash!

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 September 2001

William Fishbein
William Fishbein
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The City College and Graduate School of The City University of New York, New York, NY 10031 [email protected]
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Abstract

Unfortunately, some researchers think a good scientific theory is one that has been repeatedly confirmed, and a bad theory is one that has not received consistent confirmation. However, confirmation of a theory depends on the extent to which a hypothesis exposes itself to disconfirmation. One confirmation of a highly specific, falsifiable experiment can have a far greater impact than the disconfirmation of twenty experiments that are virtually unfalsifiable. This commentary (1) counteracts misleading biases regarding the REM sleep/memory consolidation theory, and (2) demonstrates how chaotic cerebral activation during sleep is an essential component of long-term memory storage processes.

[Vertes & Eastman]

Type
Brief Report
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 23 , Issue 6 , December 2000 , pp. 934 - 936
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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