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Private speech improves cognitive performance in young adults.
1University of California, San Diego, United States.
Consciousness and Cognition
|November 9, 2023
Summary
Using private speech, or talking to oneself, enhances cognitive performance in young adults, particularly on working memory tasks. This self-talk strategy improved task success compared to remaining silent.
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.