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A Summary Raview of "Sleep Learning" With Special Reference to the Acquisition of Foreign Lenguage Skills

Jl 1965

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BRIEF

Problem

Tc appraise "slsep learning" as a techniqua for acquiring verbal skills vith special refirence to foreign language learning.

Procedure

A survey was made of a variety of sources dealing vith learning during sleep. The review included the technical literature, popular books, coumarcial pamphlets, Eastern European raterials, and communications from scientists familiar with the problem. The material vas analyzed in terms or the evidence presented for or agaiust sleep learning as a practical training cechnique.

Conclusions

1. Regardless of present day acccunts of spectacular foreign language capabilities acquired during sleepl/, no acceptable evidence that sleop learning is en effective technique il foreign language training bas been uncovered in our survey. Verbal learning, as commorly undsrstood, does not occur during ectual sleep. Although sone varbal learning can occur during low levels of wakafulness, such as drowsinass or reverie, there is no acqu\_sition of such kaovledge during real sleep.

1/ Appendix l gives a sample of such accounts. Tha items mentioned in this sample were the impetus for this paper and received special attantion in our review.

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2. The possibility of any practical results of further research in the area of vertal learning during sleep and especially foreign language learning would seem to be rather unlikely.. Unless some new and promising materials or procedures in this area are evolved, we would suggest that further rasearch, if any is contemplated, be directed toward other,' less dramatic, but mors feasible objectivas.

3. The procedure of listening to end practicing with foreign language material during pariods of laisure, relaxation, or simple physical routine can rosult in in.reased knowledge and skill. The possible increase in foreign languege competerce expectad from such. practices should, of course, be assessed in terms of the psycbological and physiological costs.

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A Sumary Rzview of "Sleep Learning" Vith Special Reference to the Acquisition of Foreign Languags Skills

Problem

The claim that kncvledge can be acquired without effort 1s the promise of sleep learning. The purpose of the present Paper is to assess this claim vith particular reference to the learning of foreign languagas.

Definitioa of "Sleep Learning"

The term "Sleep Learning," as used in the prescnt paper, refexs to the learning, or supposed learning, of sowe verbal subject matter or skill during a state of natural sleep. That this is the coumon meaning of the term is epparent from a review of popular eod commercial sources, as well as from the scientifie literature, both of which are listed in the table of raferances on pege ll.

The references mentioned indicete a general end common meaning to the term "Sleep Leerning." Other sinilar terms are "sleep education" end "slaep teaching." The slsep leerning idea is somatimes sssociated vith hypnotism, as in "hypnopedia." Scmetimes sleap learning is associated with thsrepy, as in "sleep therapy-" These mcanings and usages apparently occur on a wide basis, being found in both European and Western literatures.

The fact of widespread agreement es to the meaning of the terp, howaver, is no necessery reason for believing that sleep learning actually occurs. In order to test whether slzap lzerning dces take

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place, some objectiva criterion of deciding whether e person is or is not asleep, as well as wbather ths person has or has not learned anything while in the slsaping state must be utilized.

Although there are technical reasons for regarding both sleep and learning as continuous phanomena such that one speaks of levels in the sleep-wakafulness continuus or of levels in the simple-tocomplax learuing continuum, it is also true that reliable judgments can be made as to whether a person is or is not asleep and, independently, as to whether a person has or has not learned something-

Criterion of Sleep

Electroencephalographic (EeG) or brain vave mcnitorirg of a person, in a slsoping condition, cnaslas ousvers to sgse as to whether he is or is not asleep at any one monent: the absence of alpha wave is comnonly taken to indicate loss of consciousness or onset of actual sleep; presence of delta wavs indicates deep sleep. Though other indicators of sleep are also used, the alpha and delta wave ^riteria are 1n good stending. (16, 19, 20)

Criterion of Learning

Learning, or ths acquisition of knouledge, is commonly demonstratad by a variety of questioning or testing procedures. If a person did not know the answer to a question yesterday and kows it today, this is ganerally taken es indicating be leerned the answer in the meantime. Learning is generally inferred on the besis of an increase in knowledge cr an improvenant in perrornance attributad to experience, instruction, study, or practice.

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Purpose of Paper

This paper is concerned vith the practical problem of assessing the contribution of sleep learning to the languege teaching process. The major contribution to this Bssessment problem comes from a series of atudies py Charles W. Simon and William H. Eamons. These authors systematically reviewed the sleep learning litarature for the RAND Corporation sobe years ago. Their laboratory controlled, yet bighly practical, experizents on sleep learning are widely accepted as the most authoritative and definitive work that has been done on the problem of verbal or "complex" learning during sleep. The major failing or studies which purport to demonstrate "sleep learning" is the use of an inadequate or casual method of determining whan the learner vas asleep-

In view of this cormon fault, the technically sophisticated work of Simon and Emmons warrants the folloving detailed explication.

The Sinon and Zmmons Experiments

In order to determina wbether knowledge coula be acquired during sleep, Simon and Emmons (i3) played ganeral informetion question-andanswar itams one by one at five-minute intervals throughout the pigbt to 21 people. There ware 96 quastions in all, and each question was playad to each person in the exparimental group ons time. By also zeasuring the depth or slesp of zach subject continuously during the night by means or the JEG, it wes possible to determine whether a parson had learnad tha answer to e particular item-wbile he was

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asleep or vhile he was awake. A baseline against which to compare the amount luarned by the experimental "sleep \_carning" group was provided by a matched control group of 64 people who received no intervening training on the items. It was found that the greatest learning occurred when the subject was wide awake, that less and less material was lesrnad as the people becane drowsier and drcwsier, and that when the people became really aslaep, all learning stopped, the lavel or knowlsdga then being no highar than the knovledge baselin of the control people who bad received no training. As shown in the graph on pege 7, tha diseroearance of all loaruing with the onset of actual sleep is clser-cut. The authors concluded that "the results support tLe hypchas that learning ci ing slsep is unlikely.".

In the study Just described, each person in the sleep-trained group was exposed to each question-end-answer combination once and only once. A szcond experiment (6) was perforned to determine whetzer sleep learning would occur if the peopls bad common onesyllable words played to them over and over again many times during actuel sleep. By giving the peopla many axposures to the items, a greater opportunity was provided for sleep learning to manifest. 1tself. The number or times the items were presented during actuel slzep varied from 15 times for soms people to as many as 82 times for others, the averaga for the group being 46 presentations. Again, no laarning oceurred during pariods when the IEG indicated that the people wers truly aslaep.

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Perentage of anwete recognited on mulliplechoice n

Iiems were preiented at varying levela along the continuum betwetn s wakir, d; deep sieep utate. The expected value was that obtained (rom an uncraincd contzot ot comparable abilicy aniweting the rame itema (Simon and Emmons, 1956, p. 94

as quoted by Berelson, B, and Steiner, G.A.

Human Behavior; An Inventory of Scientifie Findings,

New York, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1964, p. 179.

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Probably po study or a cowplicated problem can arrive at conclusive proofs. In this vein, Simon and Emmons (18) state, "Perhaps the future davelopment of new and unknown techniques vill permit someone to lzarn complex material whils he sleeps, but for the present, sleep-learning is not the simple matter that some experimenters and commarcial firms, which sell squipnent for this parpose, would lead us to.ieve."

Otber Considerations

There is evidenca that simple conditioned reflaxes can be instituted during sleep in animals and, presumably, ia man. (1, †, 9) Thus, sleep learning can legitimately be defendad in a techuical or laboratory sense, though not in a practical or real-life sense. It would be misleading to interpret euch data cut of context in en attempt to provide scientific status to the populer sleep learning rovament.

If learning during real sleep is iopossible, and if one's entire wide-aweke schedule is filled with active work or study, what about the periods in between? Could the reverie or drowsy states be used to ecquire additionel knowledge?

Leerning during the drovsy state is certainly possible. Sinon end Smmons point out that "approximately 30p of the --- naterial presented in the period Just prior to sleep was recelled." (1ß) The question is whether it is vise to use the drovsy phase for purposes of acquiring knovlodge. For normal Feople under standard

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conditions, as is typically the situation in learning a foreign language, the attempt to acquire knowledge during the drowsy state would seem inefficient and unneces6ary.

Some people so skillfully manage their lives and schedule their time that thay work more hours per day than the averege person, yet also obtain adequate amounts of relaxation and sleep. Other thiogs being equal, a person who works more hours per day will accomplisb more in his total career thaa will someone who works less. The number of bours per day vhich students vork while acquiring a foreig language ranges from very few to very many, depending upon a host of personal and situationel variables.

At the present time, scme schools encourage students to listen to foreign lang».ge material via tapa racorder whenever they are eble. Some students ier listen to foraign language recordings vhile shaving, or vhile driving to work, or vhile getting ready to retire for the night.. Beyond some point, bowever, evea the most steadfastly motivated students will suc.umb to too much work and too much listening: they pay take very obvious and direct steps to avoid the sound, such as turning the machine ofr, or they may simply fall asleep acd ignore it. Such incidental learning has much to corzend it end is frequently utilized without ill effects by students and educators.

Sowever, none of the considerations listed abova are of such importance as to impair tbe validity of the major conclusioa reached by this reviev: verbal learning, as comonly uuderstood, does not occur during actual slszp.

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APPENDIX 1

Accounts of Foreiga Language Capabilities Acquired During Sleep

Russ Pick Up English Lying DownAsleep ltauaht people, çed mon 10 lour rétained enly 1a.5 Fe [to 60 ycars, during sieep. Sir-!crnt. Thn ago ol the pérséa Itcen absorbed a9.s ver cenl[did aol scem to malter. [of the materlal, but he otheri Afancherer Cuaedien

Noseow  Apail br 7r

In Russian experiments in "sleep-leaming", one womal studer Msrercd a couse or sfsevENoish in 28 nights

tics of speech which are best perceived during steep.

At present about 30 words1 are Lvb endt nt and º° ils [raPED To reach S06o HOROS.

When sae  td al Kiev Slate Uuiversity It was Coynd that her knowledge wos equivalent to that achieved in the normal Nrstyear course at he uníversity.

LEDNID GuZuchehenkaa pinvugis ue Ukrninian Acadeny of Sclences, says 1 is possible to memorize up to 400 words and phrascs in a night

This is repor.ed in an article by a Russian journalist, Viüllen Lustiberz. which appears in tho March issua of tha magazine New Educa-. tos.

Ör. Abrain Svyadoschch,, who began experiinents in the 195ős. says that!sleeplearning tires tha brain less than normal fearnlng..

DISTORTED

. Lsaiisrz deredbei experiancsts in group ldstruetioa at tho Kev Higher Radlo-Eaglneeriag SehooL After the puplls fau aslcepi words and phrases are read to them in a voice which Is dietored to emohasize those charicleris-

Although the brain funetions as a unil, nol all its arcas are La tho same stole ut any givea momeat.

Lnstiberg sayi: "Tne wakeful cercbral cortes reseqblcs a, mosaic with interchanging polnts of excitatlog and Inhibitlou; that la, It is contlnually In. a \_stale of partlal slere, sinuitaneously vigliant and reiaxing."

SLEEP

in ihe same way. during slcen tha capaclty for work :o many cells of lhe cerebral icortex remains. The receptive faculty of the mind con stn runction through these [cells, althcugh Ihe" system controling the conseiaia miod ls inhlbited ond al resl. In cariy experiements, D. ln cariy experiements, D. Svyadoshch aucceuslully

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1. Beh, A.C. "Discrimination and Ccnditioning During Sleep as Indicated by the Elactroencephalogram," Science, Vol. l47; 19 March 1965, 1470-1471.

2. Brozek, Josef. "Racant Devalopments in Soviet Psychology," Annual Reviev of Psychology, Vol. 15, 1964, 493-594.

3. Consumer Bulletin. "zducatiou While You Sleep?". October l960:

4. Curtis, David. Learn Whila You Sleep- Nou York: Libra, 1960.

5. Crtis, David. Sleep and Learn. New York: Robert Leni Corp., 1963-

6. Emmons, V.H. & Simon,C.V. "Tre Non-Recall of Naterial Fresented During Sleep," The American Journal or Psychology, Vol. 69, (1), 1956, 76-81. .

7. Granda, A.M. "Operant Behavior During Slesp," Science, Vol. 133, 12 May 1961, 1485-1486.

8. Journal or the American Medical Association, "Learning During sleep," vol. 166, (8), 22 Februery 1953, 937-988.

9. Kleitman, Nathaniel.Sleep and Wakefulness. Illinois: University of Chicago Press, lg63, revised edition.

10. Konstantinovskiy, M. "Bell for Class--Sleep Psecenlly," (translated and republisned as "Soviet Research on Teaching During Sleep," "Kiev Higher Radiotechnical Zngineering Schcol Teaches English During Sleep" and "Development of a Method of Teaching During Sleep,") JFRS: 25,895 Joint Publications Research Service, U.S. Department of Comerce, 13 August 19Sh.

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19. Simon, C.W. & Emmons, W.H. "zEG, Consciousness and Sleep," Science, Vo1. 124, (3231), 30 November 1956, 1066-1069. - - tae and Slcep

20. Simon, C.W. "Some Immediate Bffects of Drowsiness auu on Normal Hunan Perforwance," Euman Factors, Vol. 3, (1), 1961, 1-17. 1--Ma +

2l. Svyedosch, A.M. "Perception and Memory of Speech During Natural Slcep," Voprosy Psikhologii, (1), 1962, 65-80.

22. Zavalova, N.D., Zukhar', V.P. & Petrov, Iu.A. "On the Problem of Learning During Sleep," Voprosy Psikhologii, (2), 1964, 98-102.

\* In addition to the selected raferences listed ebove, various otbar materisls pertaining to sleep learning ware assessed and correspondence with government and business bureaus, as well as with individual researchers in both the United States and Zastarn Jurope vas initisted to insure comprehensive and up to date coverage of the sleep learning problem.

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