The involuntary twitching of a sleeping dog's paw can make us suspect that animals dream just like we do. Indeed, research monitoring the brain activity of rats confirms that animals have complex dreams. The experiment's data indicated that rats who learned to run a maze while awake dreamed about running the maze later.
These findings suggest that dreams may play an important role in learning and memory, for both animals and humans.
Why does the author include the detail about watching a sleeping dog's paw?
1 to prove that animal dreams are as complex as human dreams
2 to help stimulate reader interest in the subject of animals' dreaming
3 to show how dreams play an important role in learning and memory
2 to help stimulate reader interest in the subject of animals' dreaming
By describing the involuntary twitching of a sleeping dog's paw, the author captures the reader's attention and sparks curiosity about the topic of animals dreaming. This detail helps engage the reader and draw them into the discussion about the complexities of animal dreams and the potential role they play in learning and memory.