AWAREness: A framework for conceptualizing the varying components of consciousness
Otto H. MacLin & M. Kimberly MacLin
Department of Psychology
University of Northern Iowa
and
Robert L. Solso
Abstract
With the proliferation of theoretical and experimental advances in
consciousness there have been a corresponding number of divergent
views. Here, we present a general framework of consciousness called
AWAREness (Solso, 2003). The main features of the framework
include Attention, Wakefulness, Architecture, Recall of knowledge,
and the Emotive. In addition, there are several secondary attributes
included. These are novelty, emergence, selectivity, and subjectivity.
The five elements of consciousness in the AWAREness framework
are an attempt to reduce the variance in defining the subjective
experience we call consciousness.
Introduction
The study of consciousness has expanded beyond philosophical
debates and focus only on various states of consciousness. It has
become widely interdisciplinary and rising in prominence as
evidenced by more coverage in introductory psychology and
cognitive psychology textbooks, not to mention courses specifically
focused on the topic in computer science, philosophy, and psychology
departments, and the multitude of writings on the topic. This
explosion necessarily makes the field more complex, and underscores
the need for a framework that can aid in conceptualizing what
consciousness is and what it is not.
Many have commented on the need for common definitions
(Velmans, 1997; Rosenthal, 2002) in the study of consciousness, in
part because distinctions aid in defining the domains of the different
disciplines that study consciousness (Woodruff Smith, 2001), and
because consciousness means many things to many people (Antony,
2002). Dividing the discipline into easy/hard problems, or
states/functions, or into philosophical/scientific may not be enough to
explain (or teach) the discipline. It is important to maintain the many
facets of consciousness. Some of these facets are the form of
consciousness (what it is), its appearance (how it is known via
experience), and its substrate (what is its basis) (see Woodruff Smith,
2001). Methodology varies based on the area of inquiry with
descriptive studies being used to study the form of consciousness,
empirical evaluation being used to study the substrate of
consciousness as well as its various functions, and
analytical/conceptual analysis being an appropriate methodology for
all areas. The literature abounds with philosophical and empirical
inquiry into the states, processes, and functions of consciousness,
covering both the easy (objective mechanisms of a cognitive system)
and hard (how consciousness emerges from brain activity) problems
of consciousness. This discipline of „consciousness‟ is much more
than the sums of its parts, and benefits from a framework that captures
these diverse areas.
Solso, in his book, The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the
Conscious Brain, puts forth a framework for tying together the many
areas of consciousness, in order to lay out for the reader the scientific
basis for the emergence of art as an evolved function of the brain. His
thesis is that consciousness emerged as a result of greater brain
capacity and function, and that it was only then, that art was possible.
We propose this AWAREness framework for the purposes of
providing a rubric for conceptualizing the wide range of inquiry in the
area of the scientific study of consciousness. We present the basic
definition of each aspect, and include some examples of the areas of
the consciousness literature that fall under each. While the framework
may not cover everything, it covers a lot, and provides theoretical,
methodological, and pedagogical utility for understanding and
studying consciousness.
The Framework
Attention: The focusing of cognizance on internal or external things.
We are able to direct our attention, and hence our consciousness, to
internal or external events. Includes topics such as: transitive
consciousness (being conscious of something; Hacker, 2000),
sensation and perception, illusions of time, visual approaches,
binocular rivalry, priming studies, visual illusions, altered states,
executive functions, error detection, prioritizing.
Wakefulness: The continuum from sleep to alertness. Consciousness
is a mental state, with an arousal component. Includes topics such as:
sleep, dreaming, lucid dreaming, intransitive consciousness, alertness,
altered states.
Architecture: The physical location of physiological structures (and
their related processes) that underpin consciousness. Includes topics
such as: neural correlates of consciousness, fMRI studies, visual
pathways, ERP studies, access functions.
novelty: The propensity not only to focus on central thoughts and
events, but to seek out novel, creative, and innovative items. Includes
topics such as: intentionality, curiosity, agency.
emergence: Consciousness is distinctive from other neural processes
in the respect that it deals with private, internal, and self thoughts.
Unlike other neural processes, those related to at least some aspects of
consciousness appear to loop on internal information and gives the
phenomenological impression of emerging from the activity of the
brain. Includes topics such as: the hard problem, qualia.
selectivity: Constantly selecting a very few thoughts to consider at
any given time, which may change rapidly given the intrusion of new
thoughts or external cues. Includes topics such as: spotlight models,
organization functions, control functions.
subjectivity: Each person‟s conscious experience is unique. Chalmers
(1995) calls it the “subjective inner life of the mind.” This aspect of
consciousness often leads to questions such as what it is like to “be”
something (Nagel, 1981; Sloman, 1994), from a rock, to a flower, to a
dolphin to a human. Includes problems such as: qualia,
phenomenology.
Conclusion
While the components of AWAREness combine to make an easily
retrievable acronym, the framework as a whole provides a useful
organizational model for conceptualizing the many areas of inquiry
into consciousness. Having an inclusive and comprehensible vehicle
for conveying the diverse topics of the discipline is critical for the
student, teacher, and scholar of consciousness, and further, can act as
a portal to the dynamic, and complex world of the scientific study of
consciousness.
Recall of Knowledge: Consciousness allows humans to gain access
to knowledge through recall of personal information and knowledge
of the world. Includes topics such as: memory, metacognition, self
awareness, self monitoring.
Emotive: The affective components associated with consciousness.
Includes topics such as: experienced consciousness, feeling, qualia.
Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness
Las Vegas, NV
June 2007
Further Reading
Solso, R. L. (2003). The psychology of art and the evolution of the
conscious brain. MIT Press.
Solso, R. L., MacLin, O. H., & MacLin, M. K. (2008). Cognitive
psychology (8e). Allyn and Bacon.