Frontiers in Psychology (Aug 2021)

An Exploratory Analysis of Collective Patterns of Conscious Experience Using a Self-Report Questionnaire

  • Ovidiu Brazdau,
  • Sona Ahuja,
  • Cristian-Dan Opariuc,
  • Valita Jones,
  • Sadhna Sharma,
  • Carlo Monsanto,
  • Sperry Andrews,
  • Keith Fiveson

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634677
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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This study is an exploration of collective patterns of conscious experience, as described by various psychological models, using a self-report questionnaire: The Consciousness Quotient Inventory (CQ-i). The CQ-i evaluates patterns of behaviors, attitudes, and attentional styles as well as the usage of conscious skills, awareness, and the capacity to “feel awake and alive,” providing a complex exploration of conscious experience. A set of 237 items covering major aspects of the subjective conscious experience was selected to detect the phenomenal patterns of subjective conscious experience. An exploratory factor analysis on a large sample (N = 2,360), combined with our previous meta-research on conceptual convergence of conscious experiences, revealed that these experiences appear to have 15 patterns common to all of us. A sample with a quasi-normal distribution (n = 2,266) was employed for standardization and classification of scores (M = 100; SD = 15). The study provides a conceptual framework for future in-depth studies on collective patterns of self-awareness, inner growth dynamics, and psychological maturity.

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