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The Problem of Dream Content Analysis Validity as Shown by a Bizarreness Scale
Michael Scherdl Ph.D, Daniel Erlacher Ph.D
Content analysis is one of the basic methods used in psychological dream research.
Whereas reliability issues have been addressed in the literature quite often, the validity of
dream content analysis has rarely been studied in a systematic way. The present study
investigated the validity of a bizarreness scale by asking whether an external judge
estimates the number of bizarre elements per dream in the same way as the dreamer
herself or himself. As reported previously for dream emotions, a marked underestimation
of bizarreness by the external judges was found. The findings indicate, therefore, that
written dream reports do not yield not a complete picture of the original dream experience
and hence the validity of dream content analysis which is based on written dream reports
is limited at least in several areas. How severely the validity problem affects the results of
content analytic studies and which dream characteristics are most susceptible to this kind
of error should be investigated in future studies using a methodology similar to that
employed in the present study. (Sleep and Hypnosis 2003;5(3):129-135)
Key words: dream recall frequency, dream content, reliability, stability
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