Table 2.

Mental activities associated with consciousness.

Function	Category of mental event
Responding to current situations	Interacting with people
	Attending to a sudden or unexpected event
	Close attention to a task
	Alertness in unusual, interesting, or unpredictable situations
	Observing events as they occur
	Initiating an action that is contrary to habit
	Learning a skill
Preparing for expected future actions	Mentally processing instructions
	Remembering or reviewing events
	Thinking through an expected event, or preparing actions by mental rehearsal
	Choices and decisions
Acquiring background to possible future actions	Gaining special or general knowledge
	Thinking about problems for creative resolution over time
	Abstract thought and logical reasoning
	Metacognition
Anomalous processes	Mind wandering
	Dreams during sleep