A template model of embodiment while dreaming: Proposal of a mini-me.
Judith Koppehele-Gossel, Ansgar Klimke, Karin Schermelleh-Engel, Ursula Voss
Consciousness and Cognition October 6, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.09.021 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Repeated-measures experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Humans Ego Dreams Body image Female Young adult Embodiment Discontinuity Protoconsciousness Dream self |
| Key findings | Neither pre-sleep focused attention to a body part nor experimental alteration of that body part during the day affected the dream self, as measured by the appearance of related keywords in dream reports. The authors argue this supports the hypothesis that the dream self is only weakly embodied in most dreams, using a standard embodiment template that operates independently of the physical waking self. |
Abstract
Dreams are usually centered around a dream self capable of tasks generally impossible in waking, e.g. flying or walking through walls. Moreover, the bodily dream self appears relatively stable and insensitive to changes of the embodied wake self, raising the question of whether and to what extent the dream self is embodied. To further explore its determinants, we tested whether the dream self would be affected by either pre-sleep focused attention to a body part or by its experimental alteration during the day. Choosing a repeated-measures design, we analyzed how often key words reflecting the experimental manipulations appeared in the dream reports. Results suggest that the dream self is not affected by these manipulations, strengthening the hypothesis that, in the majority of dreams, the dream self is only weakly embodied, utilizing a standard template of embodiment akin to a prototype of self operating independently from the physical waking self.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Selected subjects proficient in lucid dreaming | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Incorporation of concern- and nonconcern-related verbal stimuli into dream content. Seven male subjects studied during sleep Stages 2 and REM | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 7 |
| Lucid Dreaming and Alpha Activity: A Preliminary Report Good dream recallers | 1982 | Experimental study | n = 10 |
| Lucid dreaming during NREM sleep: Two case reports | 2012 | Sleep laboratory study | |
| The Dream Catcher experiment: blinded analyses failed to detect markers of dreaming consciousness in EEG spectral power. Human participants during sleep | 2020 | Experimental study with blinded classification | n = 9 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 22
- Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Sleep September 1, 2009
- Assessing sleep consciousness within subjects using a serial awakening paradigm Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research Choice Reviews Online January 20, 2016
- Why are dreams interesting for philosophers? The example of minimal phenomenal selfhood, plus an agenda for future research1 Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- The continuity and discontinuity between waking and dreaming: A Dialogue between Michael Schredl and Allan Hobson concerning the adequacy and completeness of these notions heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2011
and 17 more in the library