2007-03-24 04:29:02 · 10 answers · asked by Grey Wolf 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
What a great question! I gave you a star!
It really makes you think...
Okay, here's what I found:
Most researchers believe that people who are blind from birth or who become blind in infancy do not see in their dreams. They do not retain visual imagery because it was never acquired in the first place.
However, those blinded in childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, or afterwards usually do see in their dreams. "They often retain visual imagery in their waking life and in their dreams," according to Drs Nancy Kerr of the Department of Psychology at Oglethorpe University and G. William Domhoff of the Department of Psychology at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
They write in the December 2004 issue of Dreaming that "individuals blinded before the age of about five report no visual imagery in dreams as adults, whereas those blinded after about the age of seven are likely to retain visual imagery in dreaming".
This conclusion is based upon four sleep laboratory studies conducted between 1966 and 1999. According to the Royal National Institute of the Blind in London: "Dreams are experienced in the same way as life is lived. If someone loses their sight, they will dream of events during the days when sight was available in visual terms. If dreams are about recent events when sight was not used, sensations will be in terms of sound, smell, texture, and so on." A person dreams as they live.
2007-03-24 04:35:47 · answer #1 · answered by airam 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Well, dreams are defined by our experiences while we're awake, for example, say you see dogs all day, you might dream about them. Now for a person who was originally able to see, but lost his sight, yes, I'd expect he could see in his dreams, although if it was a long time ago his brain may have confused colors and various things, making grass orange perhaps.
If someone is born blind, or became blind at a very young age, it is doubtful that they could see. It is more likely that they "feel" their way along through their dreams, painting almost as clear a picture of it as if they could see.
2007-03-24 11:40:15 · answer #2 · answered by girismyfriend831 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would depend if you are questiong people blind from birth, if so the following appears to be the general thought:
Studies indicate that individuals blind at birth do see visual images, but it is argued that these images are constructs based on input from other senses (and on what the dreamer has been told by the sighted about what these objects look like).
In otherwards what their minds have construcuted a chair might look like based on the perceptions of hearing, touch and smell.
2007-03-24 11:40:29 · answer #3 · answered by Sweet Candy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, that's definitely something to think about... my best guess is that with somebody who developed blindness, they would still have normal dreams. People who were blind all their life would most likely just have dreams of voices. That's at least my guess.
2007-03-24 11:32:16 · answer #4 · answered by Koko 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not if they were born blind. They have never had visual stimulous so cant imagine what It would be like. They might have sound dreams
2007-03-24 11:37:24 · answer #5 · answered by The Dude 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What an Amazing Question, but i think yes in case they got blindness after they were born...but NO if they were born blind ....
2007-03-24 11:36:47 · answer #6 · answered by kokee33 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes!
2007-03-24 11:50:30 · answer #7 · answered by Kas-O 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. They still human after all.
2007-03-24 11:35:19 · answer #8 · answered by ►黄人◄ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I wish i knew but i gave you a star
2007-03-24 21:02:53 · answer #9 · answered by T.O. 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yep, everyone's gotta have them.
2007-03-24 11:36:32 · answer #10 · answered by Banana Hero [sic] 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋