Study used 367 Chinese students. Inner speech scale reliably measures self-criticism, self-reinforcement, self-management, social assessment. No gender differences in inner speech frequency. Trait anxiety positively correlates with self-criticism. Trait anxiety negatively correlates with self-reinforcement. Motor impulsivity positively correlates with self-criticism. Cognitive impulsivity negatively correlates with self-reinforcement. Non-planning impulsivity negatively correlates with self-reinforcement. Cognitive impulsivity negatively correlates with self-management. Self-management inner speech positively correlates with executive functioning. Self-management inner speech positively correlates with complex reasoning. Total inner speech modestly correlates with executive functioning. Total inner speech modestly correlates with reasoning. Affective inner speech links to anxiety and impulsivity. Cognitive self-regulatory inner speech links to executive function and reasoning. Impulsive people use less reinforcing and managing self-talk. High cognition drives more self-managing talk. Scale structure holds in Chinese sample.