Metamorphosed Characters in Dreams: Constraints of Conceptual Structure and Amount of Theory of Mind
Richard Schweickert, Zhuangzhuang Xi
Cognitive Science May 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-6709.2009.01082.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 21 |
| Population | Dreamers whose dream reports contained metamorphoses of a person-like entity or animal |
| Citations | 9 |
| Key findings | In dream reports, metamorphoses tend to involve perceptually similar entities (e.g., statues resembling people) rather than conceptually close ones, and metamorphosis does not increase Theory of Mind attribution. The authors propose that a character-line preserves properties and mental state attributions across metamorphoses. |
Abstract
Dream reports from 21 dreamers in which a metamorphosis of a person-like entity or animal occurred were coded for characters and animals and for inner states attributed to them (Theory of Mind). In myths and fairy tales, Kelly and Keil (1985) found that conscious beings (people, gods) tend to be transformed into entities nearby in the conceptual structure of Keil (1979). This also occurred in dream reports, but perceptual nearness seemed more important than conceptual nearness. In dream reports, most inanimate objects involved in metamorphoses with person-like entities were objects such as statues that ordinarily resemble people physically, and moreover represent people. A metamorphosis of a person-like entity or animal did not lead to an increase in the amount of Theory of Mind attribution. We propose that a character-line starts when a character enters a dream; properties and Theory of Mind attributions tend to be preserved along the line, regardless of whether, metamorphoses occur on it.