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The development of children's knowledge about inner speech

J H Flavell1, F L Green, E R Flavell

  • 1Department of Psychology, Stanford University, California 94305-2130, USA.

Child Development
|February 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Preschool children, particularly 4-year-olds, lack awareness of inner speech. This understanding of covert speech develops during early school years, likely through activities like reading and writing.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Child Psychology
  • Language Acquisition

Background:

  • Preschool children exhibit limited understanding of cognitive processes.
  • Inner speech, or covert speech, is a complex cognitive function.
  • Awareness of inner speech develops over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate preschool children's knowledge and awareness of inner speech.
  • To compare the inner speech detection abilities of 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, and adults.
  • To explore the developmental trajectory of inner speech awareness.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies were conducted involving preschool children (4- and 5-year-olds) and adults.
  • Study 1 assessed children's ability to infer inner speech during silent cognitive tasks.

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  • Study 2 evaluated children's and adults' proficiency in detecting their own inner speech.

    • Main Results:

    • Four-year-olds failed to infer inner speech in others during silent activities like reading or counting.
    • Preschoolers often denied the possibility of covert speech.
    • 4- and 5-year-olds were significantly less adept than adults at detecting their own inner speech.

    Conclusions:

    • Preschool children possess minimal awareness of inner speech.
    • Awareness of inner speech appears to emerge during the early school years.
    • Experiential learning through activities like reading and writing may foster inner speech awareness.