The dawn of inner thought?

Some three years ago, I came across Hurlburt and descriptive experience sampling, with one consequence being my realising the important part that inner thought plays in conscious life, at least in that of healthy adults. That is to say, saying stuff, saying words in one’s mind, certainly without articulating it out loud and possibly without any visible activity from the vocal apparatus. This was noticed, for example, at reference 1.

Then more recently, I pondered about the sort of consciousness that was involved in reading. More particularly, the lack of consciousness, for a lot of the time, of individual words and sentences. This was noticed at reference 2.

Then today, I observed what might be thought to be an episode in the birth of inner thought in a three year old child. A birth which might go on, for all I know, for some months.

She was playing with her pink Duplo, a gift, I think, from the young lady next door. Play which involved setting up a birthday party for three small children, involving table, chairs, (quite elaborate) cakes and candles. And once set up, the party started. Candles were blown out and cake was distributed. This part of the play was accompanied by a narrative, articulated very quietly, whispered, and I was firmly told to shut up and keep out of it. It was as if speech, which had started out loud, was gradually being internalised. And given that there were neither words on the page nor words in the ether to help things along, perhaps there were words in the head, that is to say inner thought?

Against that, one might argue that there was whispering, there was some sound. And given that her hearing was probably a lot better than mine, it was pretty much for her as if she was speaking at a volume which suited me. And speaking, in an adult anyway, does not need to involve consciousness of individual words and sentences. The words and sentence might just come, while any consciousness around might be directed at the audience, be that one, several or many.

And, digressing, the inner thought of an adult may not be any more conscious than the words on the page. They are there sure enough, because if interrupted in any way, perhaps by Hurlburt’s random bleeper, one can replay the recent words, the most recent, word for word. But in exactly what sense are they conscious?

Yet another reminder that ‘the word ‘conscious’ is not simple, and talking about being conscious of this or that is not simple either’, as concluded at reference 2. More thought on my part still needed.

By way of reward, she claimed the right to climb into her high chair for lunch, without help.

PS: back of Ralph Loren, previously noticed, visible bottom left. See reference 3.

Reference 1: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2016/08/descriptive-experience-sampled.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/11/consciousness-while-reading.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/12/shopping.html.