The Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire

Do you engage in internal dialogue?

The Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire – Revised (VISQ-R) is a validated self-report measure developed by researchers Ben Alderson-Day and colleagues at Durham University and other institutions. Building on the original VISQ by McCarthy-Jones and Fernyhough, the VISQ-R measures the characteristics of inner speech across five dimensions: dialogic, condensed, other people's voices, evaluative/critical, and positive/regulatory.

Note: This survey is not a diagnostic tool. It is part of a research study exploring the varieties of inner speech experiences, including those who may have little or no inner speech, across the spectrum of imagery experiences including aphantasia.

Instructions: For each statement, select how frequently you experience it, ranging from Never (1) to All the time (7). Be as honest as you can—there are no right or wrong answers. If you don't experience inner speech at all, you can indicate "Never" for the statements.

How frequently do you have these experiences?

When I am talking to myself about things in my mind, it is like I am going back and forward asking myself questions and then answering them.

My thinking in words is more like a dialogue with myself, rather than my own thoughts in a monologue.

When I am talking to myself about things in my mind, it is like I am having a conversation with myself.

I talk back and forward to myself in my mind about things.

Certain words or sentences repeat in my head.

I think to myself in words using brief phrases and single words rather than full sentences.

I think to myself in words using full sentences.

My thinking to myself in words is like shorthand notes, rather than full, proper, grammatical English.

My thinking in words is shortened compared to my normal out‑loud speech. For example, rather than saying to myself things like ‘I need to go to the shops,’ I will just say ‘shops’ to myself in my head.

If I were to write down my thoughts on paper, they would read like a normal grammatical sentence.

I hear the voice of another person in my head. For example, when I act in a certain way I hear my mother’s voice in my mind.

I experience the voices of other people asking me questions in my head.

I hear other people’s voices nagging me in my head.

I hear other people’s actual voices in my head, saying things that they have never said to me before.

I hear other people’s actual voices in my head, saying things that they actually once said to me.

I think in inner speech about what I have done, and whether it was right or not.

I talk silently in my head telling myself to do things.

I talk silently in my inner speech telling myself not to do things.

I evaluate my behaviour using my inner speech. For example, I say to myself, ‘that was good’ or ‘that was stupid’.

In my head I talk to myself a critical way.

When I think in words, it feels more like I am speaking than listening.

When I think in words, it is like listening to a recording of my voice.

I talk to myself silently in an encouraging way.

I calm myself down by talking silently to myself.

When angry, my inner speech can help calm me down.

When I think to myself in words about upsetting things, I can easily change topics in my mind and talk to myself about other things.

The Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire

Do you engage in internal dialogue?

User Preferences

Optional: Help us better understand imagery differences