Dream content analysis: Basic principles
heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2010 DOI: 10.11588/ijodr.2010.1.474 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 51 |
| Key points | Argues that dream content analysis, while easily applied, requires careful scale construction and attention to reliability, validity, and statistical issues to yield valid results. Proposes that systematic evaluation of the method's strengths and limitations remains underdeveloped. |
Abstract
Dream content analysis is one of the basic methods applied in psychological dream research. The method can be easily applied but several pitfalls must be avoided in order to get valid results. The present article outlines how to construct new scales and the problems related to reliability and validity of content analytic scales. In addition, statistical issues prominent in the analysis of dream content data are addressed. Despite the various efforts and published findings in dream research, the systematic study of the advantages and problems of the dream content analysis method is still at the beginning.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming | 2015 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 22
- The Phenomenal Contents and Neural Correlates of Spontaneous Thoughts across Wakefulness, NREM Sleep, and REM Sleep Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience May 31, 2017
- How You Measure Is What You Get: Differences in Self- and External Ratings of Emotional Experiences in Home Dreams The American Journal of Psychology August 21, 2017
- Spotlight on dream recall: the ages of dreams Nature and Science of Sleep 2018
- The Language of Dreams: Application of Linguistics-Based Approaches for the Automated Analysis of Dream Experiences Clocks & Sleep September 19, 2021
- Continuity between waking life and dreams of psychiatric patients A review and discussion of the implications for dream research University Library Heidelberg 2014
and 17 more in the library
Cites 6
- Appropriateness of dream feelings to dreamed situations Cognition & Emotion March 1, 1988
- Determining the dreamer’s gender from a single dream report: a matching study heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2008
- Dream Recall, Dream Length, and Sleep Duration: State or Trait Factor Perceptual and Motor Skills April 1, 2008
- The Problem of Dream Length in Analysis of Content Perceptual and Motor Skills April 1, 1999
- Emotions in diary dreams. Consciousness and Cognition December 1998
and 1 more in the library