Inner speech as a cognitive process mediating self-consciousness and inhibiting self-deception

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience

Background:

• The cognitive mechanisms underlying self-consciousness remain largely unknown.
• Inner speech has been proposed as a potential mediator of self-consciousness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a questionnaire measuring the extent of self-directed inner speech.
• To investigate the relationship between inner speech, self-consciousness, and self-deception.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel questionnaire assessing self-directed inner speech.
• Correlation analysis between inner speech scores and self-consciousness measures.
• Validation using a German version of the Sackeim and Gur self-deception questionnaire.
• Replication of findings across different cultural contexts.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between inner speech and self-consciousness.
• Scores on inner speech correlated negatively with a self-deception questionnaire, supporting its validity.
• The negative association between depression and self-deception was replicated in a new cultural setting.

Conclusions:

• Inner speech appears to play a significant role in mediating self-consciousness.
• The developed questionnaire is a valid tool for measuring self-directed inner speech.
• Cross-cultural findings support the generalizability of the relationship between self-deception, depression, and inner speech.