The varieties of inner speech questionnaire – Revised (VISQ-R): Replicating and refining links between inner speech and psychopathology

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.07.001

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Alderson-Day, B., Mitrenga, K., Wilkinson, S., McCarthy-Jones, S., & Fernyhough, C. (2018). The varieties of inner speech questionnaire – revised (visq-r): replicating and refining links between inner speech and psychopathology. Consciousness and Cognition, 65, 48–58. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2018.07.001

Abstract

Inner speech is a common experience for many but hard to measure empirically. The Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ) has been used to link everyday phenomenology of inner speech - such as inner dialogue - to various psychopathological traits. However, positive and supportive aspects of inner speech have not always been captured. This study presents a revised version of the scale - the VISQ-R - based on factor analyses in two large samples: respondents to a survey on inner speech and reading (N = 1412) and a sample of university students (N = 377). Exploratory factor analysis indicated a five-factor structure including three previous subscales (dialogic, condensed, and other people in inner speech), an evaluative/critical factor, and a new positive/regulatory factor. Confirmatory factor analysis then replicated this structure in sample 2. Hierarchical regression analyses also replicated a number of relations between inner speech, hallucination-proneness, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and dissociation.

Authors

Ben Alderson-Day1
Kaja Mitrenga1
Sam Wilkinson1
Simon McCarthy-Jones1
Charles Fernyhough1

What This Study Is About

This study looks at "inner speech"—the experience of talking to yourself in your head. Researchers wanted to create a better way to measure the different ways people experience this internal narrator and how those experiences relate to mental health and well-being.

How They Studied It

The researchers developed a updated tool called the Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire – Revised (VISQ-R). They tested it on two large groups: 1,412 people who responded to an online survey about reading and 377 university students. Participants answered questions about how often their inner voice feels like a conversation, whether it is critical or supportive, and if it includes the voices of other people. They also completed surveys about anxiety, depression, and their tendency to have unusual sensory experiences.

What They Found

The study identified five distinct ways that inner speech varies:

Dialogic: Talking to yourself like a conversation.

Condensed: Short, fragmented thoughts rather than full sentences.

Other People: Hearing the voices of friends or family in your mind.

Evaluative/Critical: An inner voice that judges or criticizes your actions.

Positive/Regulatory: An inner voice used to calm down or organize tasks.

The researchers found that people who reported more "evaluative" or critical inner speech were more likely to experience higher levels of anxiety and depression. Conversely, those who used inner speech for positive self-regulation tended to have higher self-esteem.

What This Might Mean

This suggests that inner speech isn't just one thing; it is a complex "inner landscape" that varies wildly from person to person. While the study relies on self-reporting—which can be tricky since people have to accurately remember their own private thoughts—it provides a map for understanding how our internal monologue can either support our mental health or contribute to distress.

One Interesting Detail

The researchers found that "condensed" inner speech—thoughts that are so brief they don't even form full words—is much harder for people to describe and measure than the "dialogue" version of self-talk, yet it may be a key part of how we think quickly.

The varieties of inner speech questionnaire – Revised (VISQ-R): Replicating and refining links between inner speech and psychopathology

Abstract

Authors

The varieties of inner speech questionnaire – Revised (VISQ-R): Replicating and refining links between inner speech and psychopathology

Abstract

Authors

The varieties of inner speech questionnaire – Revised (VISQ-R): Replicating and refining links between inner speech and psychopathology

Abstract

Authors

The varieties of inner speech questionnaire – Revised (VISQ-R): Replicating and refining links between inner speech and psychopathology

Abstract

Authors

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

Joel Pearson

Merlin Monzel

Adam Zeman

Rebecca Keogh

Martin Reuter

Juha Silvanto

Paolo Bartolomeo

Carla Dance

Jianghao Liu

Fraser Milton