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The phenomena of inner experience.
Christopher L Heavey1, Russell T Hurlburt
1University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Department of Psychology, 4505 Maryland Pkwy Box 455030, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5030, USA. chris.heavey@unlv.edu
Consciousness and Cognition
|February 9, 2008
Summary
Inner experience phenomena like inner speech and sensory awareness each occur in about a quarter of moments. Individual frequencies vary, with more inner speech linked to less psychological distress.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Phenomenology
- Psychological Science
Background:
- Naturally occurring inner experiences are complex and multifaceted.
- Previous research identified five core phenomena: inner speech, inner seeing, unsymbolized thinking, feelings, and sensory awareness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the relative frequencies of five core inner experience phenomena.
- To examine individual variations and gender differences in these frequencies.
- To investigate the relationship between inner speech and psychological distress.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) was employed to collect data.
- 30 college students provided 10 randomly sampled moments of inner experience each.
- Phenomena frequencies were quantified and analyzed for variations.
Main Results:
- Each of the five phenomena (inner speech, inner seeing, unsymbolized thinking, feelings, sensory awareness) occurred in approximately 25% of sampled moments.
- Significant individual differences in phenomenon frequencies were observed.
- No significant gender differences were found in the relative frequencies.
- Higher frequencies of inner speech correlated with lower levels of psychological distress.
Conclusions:
- The five identified phenomena are common components of inner experience.
- Inner experience is highly individualized.
- Inner speech may serve a protective role against psychological distress.
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