The Scientific Study of Dreams

by G. William Domhoff

s/t: Neural Networks, Cognitive Development & Content Analysis
The Scientific Study of Dreams presents a new neurocognitive model of dreams that draws from empirical research to explain better the process of dreaming & the nature of dream content. Until now, dream studies have been limited in their usefulness, but recent advances in neuroscience, dream content analysis, cognitive linguistics, statistics & computer software have made it possible to revitalize this area of research with the use of scientific methods. Domhoff's neurocognitive model helps explain the neural & cognitive bases for dreaming. He discusses how dreams express conceptions & concerns, & how they are consistent over years & decades. He also shows that there may be limits to understanding the meaning of dreams as there are many aspects of dream content that cannot be related to waking cognition or personal concerns. In addition, the book includes a detailed explanation of the methods needed to test the new model as well as a case study of a comprehensive dream journal. Particularly valuable is a discussion of a new system of content analysis that can be used for highly sophisticated studies of dream content. In this provocative book, Domhoff sets forth a convincing argument that will encourage a resurgence in dream research among both new & established cognitive psychologists & neuropsychologists.

Genres: Psychology, Science

209 pages, Hardcover

First published December 4, 2002

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read since I was looking for actual scientific studies of dream research since my perception wasthat not much had been done in the field since the 60s. It turns out there has been a lot of research, but of course there is much to be done. Much of the weight of this book is on the subject of dream content analysis which is something that popped into my head years ago as something that might be able to shed some light into the nature of dreaming, differences in dreaming across cultures and languages, and how dreams change or remain similar as a person ages. I wouldn't recommend this to everyone as it is a detailed analysis of dream research and how it relates to the different dream theories out there. But it is definitely a stepping stone for me to think about what else we might be able to uncover about our dreams thanks to dream content analysis, especially once they are stored in a relational database.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. It is actually about scientific methods used to study dreams and dreaming; it is not so much about the results of that research. But it seems that there are few successful scientific dream studies out there, or at least that's the essence of here.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really dense and unless you have some basis of knowledge in the sleep study arena may be a bit too much. It is chock full of info, though, on just what the title suggests.