[382] MTSU psychology professor examines ‘self-talk’ at state conference April 21

MURFREESBORO — Talking to oneself might not necessarily be indicative of a problem, and researchers are delving into why people do it.

Tom Brinthaupt, an MTSU psychology professor who studies self-talk, will deliver the keynote address at the Middle Tennessee Psychological Association’s Spring 2018 meeting at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, April 21, in the College of Education Building.

Brinthaupt’s topic will be “Why Do People Differ in How Often They Talk to Themselves?” He will summarize historical and contemporary definitions of self-talk, as well as his own research program. Audience members will have the opportunity to talk to themselves during the presentation.

The Self-Talk Scale, a standardized measure of how often individuals talk to themselves, also will be a feature of Brinthaupt’s discussion. He maintains that two different hypotheses have emerged from use of the Self-Talk Scale.

The “social isolation” theory posits that individuals who spend more time alone or who have more socially isolating experiences will talk to themselves more. The “cognitive disruption” theory posits that individuals who experience disordered thinking will engage in more self-talk.

Both undergraduate and graduate students will present their own research to colleagues from other colleges and universities during the academic conference, which will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

The deadline for submission of papers and conference registration is Friday, April 13. The registration fee is $5 for students and community members and $15 for faculty and other professionals. To register, go to https://tinyurl.com/ybj7r54e. To submit a research paper, go to https://tinyurl.com/y9grusmj.

For more information, contact psychology professor William Langston at 615-898-5489 or william.langston@mtsu.edu.