Collects and clarifies the variety of notions of consciousness in an effort to establish a basis for an interdisciplinary study of consciousness. Through theoretical and empirical analyses this study confirms the connection between personal attitudes toward life and toward reality in general, an individual's judgement concerning the nature of consciousness, and the proper means for studying it. This is accomplished via a statistical analysis of responses by academics (mostly in psychology) to a questionnaire, together with a detailed account of the methods employed in developing it. It is preceded by a discussion of various concepts and philosophical approaches to consciousness. Contents: Introduction; The Problem of Consciousness; Metanalysis of Definitions of Consciousness; Notions of Consciousness; An Empirical Examination of the ole of the Personal in the Understanding of Consciousness; Conclusions; and Appendix with the Consciousness Questionnaire, Respondents' Written Responses, and Statistical Analyses. « less more »