Language and the Inner: Development of the Beliefs About Functions of Language Scale

Abstract

The nexus between language and experience addresses the distinct, qualitative aspects of human experience or qualia. These qualitative aspects are important because, when people perceive a disconnect between language and experience, consequences for psychological health may follow. The research reported herein aimed to develop and validate a psychometric tool to assess perceptions of connection between language and experience. Six studies were conducted to confirm the factor structure of the Beliefs About the Functions of Language scale and to assess its construct validity. Two factors were derived and validated (viz. epistemic and communicative), which were shown to relate to mental health indicators in expected ways.