Children's understanding of dreams as mental states

Bibliographic Data

ID3900531
AuthorsSarah A Meyer, Sarah Meyer (0009-0006-3920-4424), Cecilia Shore
Year2001
Volume11
Issue4
Pages179-194
Publication date2001-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDreaming (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1053-0797 • E-ISSN: 1573-3351
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1023/a:1012288223591
OpenAlexW2020726429
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited3

Children's understanding of dreams as mental states was examined as an instance of their development of a “theory of mind.” Thirty-five children between the ages of three and seven were interviewed to determine how well they understood the reality, location, privacy, and origin of their own dream, versus that of a fictional character, matched for emotional valence. Theory of mind developments in understanding appearance vs. reality and perspective-taking were evaluated as predictors of dream understanding. Results revealed significant age increases in dream understanding that occur in a logical sequence predicted by Kohlberg. Theory of mind developments were correlated with children's understanding of the reality and the privacy of dreams. These findings suggest that children as young as five, although their own dreams may be rare, are beginning to understand that Western culture deems dreams to be non-real, private, psychological occurrences

Developmental psychology · Mental health · Psychoanalysis · Psychotherapist · Child and Animal Learning Development · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Psychology · Sleep and Wakefulness Research