Inner Speech: Development, Cognitive Functions, Phenomenology, and Neurobiology
Ben Alderson-Day, Charles Fernyhough
Psychological Bulletin May 25, 2015 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000021 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | Argues that inner speech, though variable across individuals and the life span, appears to perform significant functions in human cognition, in some cases reflecting its developmental origins and its sharing of resources with other cognitive processes. Proposes a multicomponent model of inner speech informed by developmental, cognitive, and psycholinguistic considerations. |
Abstract
Inner speech—also known as covert speech or verbal thinking—has been implicated in theories of cognitive development, speech monitoring, executive function, and psychopathology. Despite a growing body of knowledge on its phenomenology, development, and function, approaches to the scientific study of inner speech have remained diffuse and largely unintegrated. This review examines prominent theoretical approaches to inner speech and methodological challenges in its study, before reviewing current evidence on inner speech in children and adults from both typical and atypical populations. We conclude by considering prospects for an integrated cognitive science of inner speech, and present a multicomponent model of the phenomenon informed by developmental, cognitive, and psycholinguistic considerations. Despite its variability among individuals and across the life span, inner speech appears to perform significant functions in human cognition, which in some cases reflect its developmental origins and its sharing of resources with other cognitive processes.
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Citations in the library
Cited by 36
- The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective Nature Reviews Neuroscience July 5, 2021
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- The Double-Slit Experiment Is Already Happening in the Brain Longevity Horizon January 12, 2026
- Towards an Integrative Account of Potential Mechanisms Mediating the Path From Sleep Dysfunction to Hallucinations Schizophrenia Bulletin October 1, 2025
- Toward a patterned theory of inner speech: rethinking Vygotsky through 4E cognition and phenomenology Mind & Society April 30, 2025
and 31 more in the library
Cites 7
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- A Correspondence between Individual Differences in the Brain's Intrinsic Functional Architecture and the Content and Form of Self-Generated Thoughts PLoS One May 13, 2014
- Auditory verbal hallucinations in persons with and without a need for care. Schizophrenia Bulletin July 2014
- Auditory hallucinations in a deaf patient: a case report. Case Reports in Psychiatry July 9, 2013
- Do we need multiple models of auditory verbal hallucinations? Examining the phenomenological fit of cognitive and neurological models. Schizophrenia Bulletin September 26, 2008
and 2 more in the library