A self-report questionnaire assessing the use of selfdirected speech was administered to 1,132 undergraduate university students. In general, self-verbalization scores were high. Exploratory factor analysis produced a fourfactor solution that was readily interpretable in terms of Vygotskian theory. Consistent with the view that private speech serves as a cognitive tool system, the highest scores were reported for questionnaire items loading highly on a factor consisting of cognitive, mnemonic, and attentional uses of self-verbalization. The scales appear to have good internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and good content and criterion validity.

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Forty preschool-aged children were videotaped while carrying out paperfolding and story-sequencing tasks, during a series of three experimenta l sessions. During the rst session, participants worked on both easy and dif cult items, and in the second and third sessions they worked on familiar items (the rst session dif cult items, presented repeatedly) and novel items, of each task type. Participants used more private speech on dif cult/novel items than on easy/familiar items, during all three sessions. Private speech production declined across sessions when participants worked on the repeated items. A greater percentage of participants' private speech preceded action when they worked on dif cult/novel items, compared with easy/familiar items. On the paper-folding items, a cross-session increase occurred in the percentage of private speech that preceded action, supporting some of Vygotsky's (1934Vygotsky's ( / 1987Vygotsky's ( , 1978 claims about the emergence of verbal planning in private speech. The potential of microgenetic experimental methodology for research on private speech is emphasised.

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