The state of awareness of self and environment, encompassing both subjective experience and the ability to reflect on mental states. It is studied empirically in [[Psychology]] and [[Neuroscience]], and conceptually in [[philosophy]]. - Core Aspects - [[Awareness]]: ongoing [[perception]] of internal and external stimuli - [[Selfhood]]: continuity of identity across time - [[Qualia]]: subjective “what it is like” character of experience - [[Metacognition]]: ability to reflect on one’s own thoughts - Neural Correlates - [[Prefrontal Cortex]]: executive monitoring and reflective awareness - [[Anterior Cingulate Cortex]]: attention, error detection, conflict monitoring - [[Thalamus]]: sensory relay and integration with cortical activity - [[Default Mode Network (DMN)]]: self-referential thought, mind-wandering - Perspectives - [[Cognitive Psychology]]: attention, [[perception]], working memory as building blocks - [[Neuroscience]]: search for neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) - [[Philosophy]]: debates on dualism, physicalism, panpsychism, and the hard problem of consciousness - Subtopics - [[States of Consciousness]] (wakefulness, sleep, dreaming, altered states) - [[Self]] - [[Qualia]] - [[Metacognition]] - [[Unconscious Processes]] - Methods - Behavioral: masking tasks, blindsight, attentional blink - Neuroimaging: fMRI, EEG, intracranial recordings - Comparative: studies of anesthesia, coma, and disorders of consciousness