The Consciousness Quotient (CQ) theory and Consciousness Quotient Inventory © concepts were developed by psychologist Ovidiu Brazdau, PhD and first presented at the Toward a Science of Consciousness Conference in Hong Kong (June 11th to 14th, 2009).
The Consciousness Quotient (CQ) theory described by Ovidiu Brazdau
“I have defined the Consciousness Quotient as the level of consciousness (or the level of being conscious) that is experienced in the morning, ½-1 hour after we woke up, after a refreshing sleep, without being exposed to any significant stimulus (coffee, TV, radio, music, talking etc.)
In other words, the consciousness quotient is the general level of being conscious / aware throughout a day, in regular life conditions. Of course, this level of being conscious can change, and we have some good available models that explain this (Charles Tart’s model is for me a very valid one, for example).
Every change in the conscious experience can be described in terms of information. I consider the main mechanism of all the states of consciousness to be the expansion / contraction of the consciousness field. Some of us have a larger level of consciousness, described by a higher CQ, that is: they can access plenty of information. Some of us have a lower CQ, and can access less information. And of course, areas where we can access information can differ in different states, but overall, the general CQ is the same. In some moments we are more conscious about our feelings, but less of our thoughts or our own being.
Our CQ shows only the degree of what we are able to access simultaneously. In a regular state, increases in consciousness of one field (e.g. emotional field) can only be obtained “ stealing” consciousness resources from one side (e.g. social-relational field) and offer more consciousness to another field of life (e.g. emotional). In a way, it is similar to attention: we cannot focus on more than a few elements.
I do not intend to debate the nature of altered states of consciousness, and there are lots of questions I do not respond to with my CQ theory, I am aware of this. My intention is to do scientific measurements of consciousness.
I use the terms “being conscious” and “being aware” with a general similar meanings: access to information. I know some researchers have made specific separations between the meanings of the two terms, but from my point of view difference is that awareness is more applied to a limited now-here moment, while consciousness refers to a general ability. Or, in other words, consciousness is generated from all the limited now-here awareness experiences.
I liked the idea of Bernard Baars, who described consciousness using the metaphor of theater. Baars visualized the relationships between consciousness, attention, working memory and others in the so called “Theater of Consciousness”, in which attention acts as a spotlight, and the players in the spotlight onstage are contents of conscious experience. Using this model to describe the CQ theory, I would say that the CQ would be like the entire theater building. Some theaters have larger stages, with lots of actors and high power spot lights, some theaters have smaller stages, and small spotlight, with only a few personnel to manipulate the spots.
A higher CQ than the average means a person can access simultaneously a larger amount of information, while a lower CQ means that person can access a lower amount of information. Hence, the one with a higher CQ will usually have a larger perspective, if the information is processed and understood. If one person enters for one hour a mystic trance state, perhaps he/she will access much more information during that state. But from my perspective and using CQ theory, his/her Consciousness Quotient is only what will remain after the peak experience vanished. If the state is „habitualized”, and persists months after the peak experience, we can assume that it is possible to have a higher CQ.
I felt necessary to introduce dimensionality in the study of conscious experiences, because some “spiritual” leaders have a developed spiritual perspective, but low value social interactivity, and can behave as if they are social primates, driven only by instinct, some of them having personal emotional unsolved problems. In my own search, I found in Yoga a wonderful support. The model of subtle informational bodies seems useful for describing some aspects of the conscious experience of the human being”.
Consciousness Quotient Dimensions and CQ Inventory ©
The Consciousness Quotient has 6 main dimensions and 8 secondary factors that describe the conscious experience. The main dimensions are: physical, emotional, mental (cognitive), spiritual, social-relational and self-consciousness. These six dimensions are the main six factors of the Consciousness Quotient Inventory.
The primary six factors of the Consciousness Quotient
1. Physical Consciousness: refers to the ability of being conscious of the body and organism, and of the physical elements of the environment
2. Emotional Consciousness: describes the ability of being conscious of your own emotions and feelings, and generally, to be conscious of any emotional feeling
3. Mental (Cognitive) Consciousness: refers to the ability of being conscious of your own ideas, of the mental stream generally
4. Spiritual Consciousness: refers to the ability of being conscious about yourself as a part of the universe, and describes the ability of being conscious about the multiple connections with the surrounding life (13 items)
5. Social – Relational Consciousness: refers to the ability of being conscious about human relationships and the connections with the people you interact with
6. Self-Consciousness: Consciousness of Self or Self-Awareness refers to the ability of being conscious about your own person, your own self; this factor describes the ability of the reflexivity of the human being, of being able to look upon itself in an objective way
The Consciousness Quotient Inventory is composed of 62 items, that describe these dimensions. For answers the CQ Inventory uses a Likert scale with 5 degrees, from 1 to 5 points, showing the gradual agreement of the subject for each item: Strongly disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly agree.
First results of the Consciousness Quotient studies. CQ Inventory ©
The CQ Inventory was developed and verified through 2 studies, on Romanian population. The CQ Inventory was applied between June – September, 2008. The sample that was analyzed consisted of 2474 persons, significant for the Romanian “premium” population (higher education, higher incomes, upper social status) from urban areas.
The general CQ score was calculated using percentile 50. Data obtained by the sample of 2474 persons are below (100 is maximum):
Consciousness Quotient (average) = 56
• Physical Consciousness = 60
• Emotional Consciousness = 57
• Mental (Cognitive) Consciousness = 54
• Spiritual Consciousness = 57
• Social – Relational Consciousness = 52
• Self-Consciousness = 59
The BCQI instrument seems to have good methodological indicators. It has passed the core statistical tests. Full data are available at http://www.consciousness-quotient.com/psychometric-properties-studies/
For licensing and requests for using the Consciousness Quotient Inventory please contact Ovidiu Brazdau.
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