Individual Differences in Frequency of Inner Speech: Differential Relations with Cognitive and Non-cognitive Factors.

Xuezhu Ren,Christopher Jarrold,Tengfei Wang

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01675

Xuezhu Ren, Christopher Jarrold + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01675

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Abstract

Inner speech plays a crucial role in behavioral regulation and the use of inner speech is very common among adults. However, less is known about individual differences in the frequency of inner speech use and about the underlying processes that may explain why people exhibit individual differences in the frequency of inner speech use. This study was conducted to investigate how individual differences in the frequency of inner speech use are related to cognitive and non-cognitive factors. Four functions of inner speech including self-criticism, self-reinforcement, self-management, and social assessment measured by an adapted version of Brinthaupt's Self-Talk Scale were examined. The cognitive factors that were considered included executive functioning and complex reasoning and the non-cognitive factors consisted of trait anxiety and impulsivity. Data were collected from a large Chinese sample. Results revealed that anxiety and impulsivity were mainly related to the frequency of the affective function of inner speech (self-criticism and self-reinforcement) and executive functions and complex reasoning were mainly related to the frequency of the cognitive, self-regulatory function of inner speech (self-management).

Highlights

Inner speech, which is usually described as the activity or process of silently talking to oneself (Morin, 2009), has received increasing attention over recent years (e.g., Winsler, 2009; AldersonDay and Fernyhough, 2015a; Hurlburt and Heavey, 2015; Morin et al, 2015)
Data on the cognitive measures were computed based on 164 participants and data on the inner speech scale (ISS), STAI-T, and the BIS based on 367 participants
The cognitive factors included executive functioning and complex reasoning while the non-cognitive factors consisted of trait anxiety and impulsivity, the latter of which is a multifaceted construct assessed in the present study by considering three distinct dimensions: motor, cognitive, and non-planning impulsiveness

Summary

Introduction

Inner speech, which is usually described as the activity or process of silently talking to oneself (Morin, 2009), has received increasing attention over recent years (e.g., Winsler, 2009; AldersonDay and Fernyhough, 2015a; Hurlburt and Heavey, 2015; Morin et al, 2015). There are a number of studies conducted within the applied and clinical settings where inner speech shows the potential to be an integral component of psychological interventions (e.g., Hardy, 2006; Williams et al, 2012; Shi et al, 2015) Despite these theoretical and empirical advances, relatively less is known about individual differences in the frequency of inner speech use during. Morin et al (2011) used an open-format thought-listing procedure to assess the frequency, content, and functions of inner speech They found that the most reported type of inner speech was self-talk about oneself regarding self-valuations, emotions, physical appearance, and relationships

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