Abstract
This! systematic literature review critically appraised and compared methods for measuring individual differences in inner speech in developmentally neurotypical adults. It also investigated whether individual differences in inner speech which were found through these methods of measurement, were related to psychopathology. Literature searches were performed in three databases. Twenty nine studies were included in this review.These studies measured inner speech through a variety of methods including questionnaire and interview, introspective, experimental, neuroimaging and lesion methodologies. Methods varied with regard to the characteristics of inner speech they measured, as well as the!qualities of the inner speech which the measurement method relied on. Only two of the included studies used two different types of inner speech measurement. This combining of different methods enabled reciprocal validation of each method, and indicated that some findings may be artefacts of the particular method used.
Individual differences in inner speech found by these methods of measurement, were related to variation in other aspects of human experience. This included variation in psychological disorders and symptoms such as auditory verbal hallucinations, anxiety and self-esteem. These preliminary findings suggest that a more thorough assessment of the relationship between inner speech processes and psychological disorders and symptoms would be useful for the advancement of clinical psychology theory and treatment.
| Date of Award | 2018 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Troy Tranah (Supervisor) |