Private speech improves cognitive performance in young adults.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Private speech, defined as self-directed verbalizations, has been theorized to aid cognitive processes.
• Previous research has primarily focused on private speech in children, with less attention paid to its role in young adults.
• Understanding the function of private speech in cognitive tasks is crucial for educational and therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between private speech usage and cognitive performance in young adults.
• To establish a causal link between private speech and improved performance on a visual-spatial working memory task.
• To explore whether task difficulty moderates the effects of private speech and identify individual differences associated with its benefits.

Main Methods:

• 103 young adults completed a visual-spatial working memory task under two conditions: Private Speech (talking aloud) and Quiet (silent).
• Private speech usage was measured by the amount of self-talk during the task.
• Task difficulty was manipulated by varying image labelability; self-reported everyday private speech use was also assessed.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated superior performance on trials with higher private speech production.
• Performance in the Private Speech condition was significantly better than in the Quiet condition, establishing causality.
• The benefits of private speech were not influenced by task difficulty but were greatest in individuals who used more private speech during the task and in daily life for self-management.

Conclusions:

• Private speech acts as a cognitive tool that enhances performance on challenging tasks, such as visual-spatial working memory, in young adults.
• The findings support the role of private speech in self-regulation and cognitive control, extending its known benefits beyond childhood.
• These results have significant implications for leveraging private speech strategies in educational and instructional settings to improve learning and task performance.