The most recent dreams of children ages 8-11

The present study examined whether the Most Recent Dream Method is a feasible choice for dream collection from children as young as 8 years old. A quantitative analysis of 30 Most Recent Dreams from 8-11 year-old girls and 32 Most Recent Dreams from 8-11 year-old boys reveals that the method seems feasible as indicated by children's ability to respond. The basic findings for recency, length, types of characters, and other content categories show the same overall pattern of gender similarities and differences by age 10-11 as found with 12-13 year-olds and young adults. Girls' dream reports especially begin to resemble those of older girls and young women by age 10-11. These results, if confirmed by follow-up studies with larger numbers of children, suggest that reasonably representative samples of the dreams of girls from age 10 onward can be collected using the Most Recent Dream method.