Abstract: Inner speech—the experience of having a conversation within oneself—is recognised for its key role in various functions of mental life. However, its contribution to semantic memory remains underexplored. 

Recent theoretical proposals suggest that inner speech may support the monitoring of semantic knowledge. This function may be especially relevant for abstract concepts, which—compared to concrete concepts (e.g., table)—lack a fixed, concrete referent, vary more across individuals and contexts, and rely more heavily on inner, affective, linguistic, and social experience than on direct sensorimotor interaction with the world. 

To date, studies employing interference paradigms have yielded mixed evidence in support of this effect. Yet, previous research has focused mostly on individual tasks, neglecting the investigation of everyday conceptual use in social interactive contexts — a particularly important gap given that inner speech itself is thought to originate from, and retain the structure of, interpersonal dialogue. 

To address these gaps, in this talk I will present ongoing research investigating how inner speech contributes to the processing of conceptual knowledge, particularly for abstract concepts. I will introduce a novel methodological approach that combines trait measures of inner speech with in-the-moment subjective reports collected during semantic processing tasks carried out in both individual and social contexts. 

Bio: Chiara De Livio, PhD Student in Psychology and Social Neuroscience at the Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome