According to the activation-synthesis model, dreams are a. meaningless ___________ . b. symbolic representations of repressed wishes c. the subjective awareness of the brain's internally generated signals during sleep d. produced by newly consolidated memories

The activation-synthesis model is a hypothesis that suggests dreams are a result of the brain's attempt to make sense of neuronal activity during sleep. The model proposes that, during sleep, neurons in the brain randomly fire, generating signals that the sleeping brain tries to synthesize into a coherent narrative or dream. It was developed by researchers J. Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley.

Now, let's evaluate each given option against the activation-synthesis model's explanation of dreams: a. meaningless ___________ : The activation-synthesis model doesn't suggest that dreams are meaningless; instead, the model proposes that dreams are the result of the brain attempting to make sense of random neuronal activity during sleep. b. symbolic representations of repressed wishes : This explanation aligns more with Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of dreams, rather than the activation-synthesis model. c. the subjective awareness of the brain's internally generated signals during sleep : This option seems to be the most consistent with the activation-synthesis model, stating that dreams are the brain's way of interpreting its own internal signals during sleep. d. produced by newly consolidated memories : While memories can play a role in dreams, the activation-synthesis model specifically highlights that dreams are the result of random neural activation and the brain attempting to make sense of these random signals.

Based on the evaluation of each option, it becomes clear that option (c) the subjective awareness of the brain's internally generated signals during sleep is the most consistent with the activation-synthesis model. Therefore, (c) is the correct answer.