Dreams

Interviews from Piaget's A child'e conception of the world

Horn (5 years, 3 months): You know what it is to dream? - Yes. It's when you see people.- Where is the dream?- In the smoke- What smoke?- The smoke that comes from the bedclothes. -Where do dreams come from?- From here( pointing to the stomach). - Then how is it that they are in the bedclothes while you are dreaming?- Because you know it's like that.

Horn adds that the dream comes in front of the eyes, a few centimeters away. He does not believe thought to be with the mouth but situates thought in the thorax. Is the smoke with which he associates the dream, therefore, respiration? Comparison with ( two other children's reports) would suggest that this is so; the dream, in so far as it is thought, being held to consist in speaking, in air and in the breath from respiration.

Dug ( 6 years, 6 months): What is a dream?- You dream at night. you are thinking of something(!) - where does it come from?- I don't know- What do you think? - That we make them ourselves(!)- Outside- Where?- There- ( pointing to the street, through the window)- Why outside?- Because you've got up- And then?- It goes- While you were dreaming, where was it?- With us- Where- In the bed- Where? Near- If I was there, should I see it- No... Yes, because you'd be near the bed- Where does the dream come from?- Nowhere(!)- What does it come out of?- Out of the bed- How does it get here?- Because you are dreaming- Where is the dream made?- In the bed- How?- From air- Where does the air come from? From outside- Why?- Because the window is open- Why do you dream?- Because yesterday we went bathing and were bathing and were frightened- Is there something that sends the dream?- yes, the birds- Why? Because they like the air. Dug then told of how he had dreamed of soldiers. Where did this dream come from?- From outside- Where- from far away, over there( pointing towards the window)- Why?- Because there's a wind- What sends the dreams?- The air- And then?- That's all- Why the pigeons? Because they're happy when it's windy= Do the pigeons send the dreams on purpose?- No- Do they know they are sending them?- No- Then why do they send them- Because they are happy when it's windy- DO the pigeons send the dreams on purpose?- No- Do they know they are sending them?- No- Then why do they send them? - Because of the wind- Does the pigeon make the dream?- yes- How?- By bringing the wind.- If there wasn't any wind, could we dream?- No, the dream wouldn't be able to come.

Sci (6) : " Where does a dream come from ? From the night.—What is it ?

It's the evening.—What is the night like ? It is black—How are dreams made ? — They come when you shut your eyes.—How ?—/ don't know.— Where are the dreams made ? — Out there (pointing to the window).—What are dreams made of ? — Black.—Yes, but of what ? — Of light.—Where do they come from ? From the lights outside.—Where are they ? — There are some out there " (pointing to the street-lamps). " Why do dreams come ? — Because the light makes them." (On the subject of hght, see Sci's remarks on vision, Chapter I, § 2.) Later on Sci remarked that dreams come "from the sky.— What sends them ? The clouds.—Why the clouds ? They come." This belief that the night comes from the clouds is in fact frequent (see Chapter IX, § 2). Sci has thus returned to his idea that dreams are due to the night.