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Point of View in Nocturnal Dreaming

David Foulkes, Nancy H. Kerr

Perceptual and Motor Skills April 1, 1994 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1994.78.2.690 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational study Peer reviewed
Sample size 4
Population Young-adult subjects reporting nocturnal dreams
Topics Dreaming
Citations 9
Key findings Most nocturnal dream reports from four young adults were experienced from an own-eyes perspective, while the see-oneself perspective seemed incompatible with full dream elaboration. The author proposes this may explain the primitive form of dreaming in early development, when children cannot imagine their own active participation in dream events.

Abstract

Most nocturnal dream reports of 4 young-adult subjects were of events reported to have been experienced from an own-eyes perspective. The alternative, see-oneself, perspective seems to be incompatible with full dream elaboration. This may help to explain the primitive form of dreaming in early development, when children are unable to imagine their own active participation in dream events.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... 2009 Observational study n = 6
Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years 2002 Prospective observational study n = 116
Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... 1987 Case-control study n = 11
The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams 2004 Observational cohort n = 147
The prevalence of nightmares and their independence from anxiety. Undergraduates 1990 Observational study using daily dream logs n = 220

Citations in the library

Cited by 4

Cites 2

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