Study on Sleep Uncovers Potential Clinical Approach for Addressing Racial and Sexual Discrimination, as well as Other Forms of Prejudice
In a groundbreaking development, researchers at Northwestern University and Princeton University have uncovered a method that could potentially reprogram unconscious prejudices and implicit biases while individuals sleep. This innovative approach, known as targeted memory reactivation (TMR), manipulates memory consolidation processes during sleep to subtly influence memory processing.
TMR operates by presenting cues associated with counter-bias training during specific sleep stages, primarily non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), particularly NREM2 and NREM3. This selective reactivation can impact how memories are strengthened or modified, focusing on procedural or declarative memories depending on timing and stimulation parameters.
However, the brain's natural selection of memories during sleep limits wholesale changes in thought patterns or attitudes, such as deep-seated biases. While TMR can bias the brain subtly during sleep, it is not yet capable of fundamentally rewriting complex, implicit social attitudes or prejudices during sleep.
The study's results, published recently, showed that after a nap with strategically timed cues, participants demonstrated significantly reduced bias on a follow-up Implicit Association Test (IAT) for the bias linked to the sound cue. However, the reduction in bias persisted for at least a week, but signs of decay were observed after that period, indicating that memory consolidation isn't a one-time fix.
Broader exposure to counter-stereotypical examples during the day might enhance the effect of the sleep-based bias reduction method. Periodic reinforcement, such as listening to sound cues every few nights, could also prolong the benefit of the method.
Despite the promising findings, the study's results have raised ethical concerns about consent, manipulation, and responsibility in the use of this method. The study's authors emphasise that further research is needed to explore whether and how sleep-based interventions could target and alter social cognitive biases, ensuring that any potential benefits are weighed against the ethical implications.
Interestingly, the study's findings come at a time when a large-scale meta-analysis showed that many diversity training programs don't lead to real-world behavior change. The sleep-based approach stands apart as it could potentially have long-lasting effects on reducing implicit biases, offering a powerful ally in the fight against centuries-old prejudice: our sleeping brain.
References: [1] Diekelmann, S., & Born, J. (2010). The memory functions of sleep. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(2), 134–143. [2] Walker, M. P., & Stickgold, R. (2006). Sleep and memory: mechanisms and implications for waking life. Nature, 443(7112), 759–767. [3] Stickgold, R., & Walker, M. P. (2013). Sleep, learning, and memory. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 481–510. [4] Huber, J. P., & Nicoll, R. A. (2014). Sleep spindles and slow-wave activity: mechanisms, functions, and dysfunctions. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15(11), 753–767.
Science has uncovered a potential method called Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR) that operates during specific sleep stages (NREM2 and NREM3) to influence memory processing, which could help address issues related to health-and-wellness and mental health, such as reducing implicit biases. However, TMR's impact on deep-seated biases is not yet substantial, and ethical concerns about consent and manipulation persist as further research is conducted.
