ABSTRACT
This chapter presents framework for the study of consciousness. It comprises a set of basic theoretical assumptions, proposing that consciousness represents a complex and elegant biological solution to some practical evolutionary problems. The chapter demonstrates that the concept of working memory can be used within this framework to investigate a range of problems including those concerned with levels of consciousness, with mind-wandering, rumination, and the control of conscious awareness, and finally with its qualitative or phenomenological characteristics. In terms of explaining consciousness, the chapter describes some of the cognitive processes underlying everyday conscious experiences such as daydreaming and imagery. People with depression or insomnia are also likely to be aware of their ruminations, even if they are unable to control them. In case of post-traumatic stress disorder, a frequent and distressing symptom is the experience of intrusive images of traumatic event.
