Effects of simulated stuttering on listener recall

In an investigation of the effects of simulated stuttering on listener recall, a presentation was varied on two factors: degree of stuttering (mild or severe) and information value of stuttered words (low or high). A control presentation featuring non-stuttered speech also was prepared. Five groups of 16 subjects were randomly assigned to, and participated in, one of the five listening conditions. Then they completed a 20-item recall test. A one-way analysis of variance revealed sognificant differences among the five conditions. Two-way analysis of variance disclosed no main effects. However, a significant interaction showed that recall was lowest in the severe stuttering-high information condition. The results are discussed in terms of attention to critical information.     

A case report on the use of flooding in stuttering therapy

The last several years have seen the development and use of anxiety-reduction procedures in stuttering therapy. Among these types of methods, systematic desensitization and reciprocal inhibition have been employed almost exclusively. Emotional de-conditioning by means of flooding or implosive techniques has been attempted far less often. This article presents a case report on the utilization of the flooding tactic. Results are offered and discussed relative to the question of whether the elimination of anxiety is a realistic goal in therapy. The suggestion is offered that what many stutterers may really need to develop is the ability to generate fluency-enhancing behaviors in spite of the presence of heightened emotionality.     

Effects of right hemisphere damage in an adult stutterer

One thesis on stuttering states that stuttering results from hemispheric imbalance of language. Some authors have reported stutterers who ceased stuttering following unilateral neurosurgical procedures, thereby correcting this imbalance. The first case of a stutterer in whom a right hemisphere stroke subsequently developed is reported here. The effects of the stroke on his speech production are discussed.     

Voice initiation and termination time in stuttering and nonstuttering children

Voice initiation time (VIT) and voice termination time (VTT) was measured in seven stuttering and eight nonstuttering children ranging in age from 4 yr, 6 mo to 6 yr, 10 mo. The experimental task was the production of /a/ in response to a 1000-Hz pure tone. Voice initiation time was defined as the period of time elapsing between the onset of the auditory stimulus and the onset of the subject's response of /a/, as displayed on an oscilloscope. Voice termination time was defined as the latency between termination of the stimulus tone and the point at which the oscilloscopic signal decreased by 90%. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups with respect to either VIT or VTT. In addition, no apparent relationships were present among VIT, VTT, or stuttering severity.     

Stuttering onset after laryngectomy

Two cases of onset of stuttering subsequent to laryngectomy are reported. These patients demonstrate that the existence of a larynx is not necessary for the generation of stuttering. The findings support the hypothesis that neuromotor control of sound source (laryngeal or alaryngeal) plays a critical role in the generation of stuttering-type dysfluencies and, perhaps, even in the onset of stuttering. They also suggest that dramatic alteration in sound source has the potential for dramatically altering fluency.     

Developmental changes in the linguistic performance correlates of reading achievement

The present study evaluated the hypothesis that measures of linguistic skills differentially contribute to the variability in reading achievement at different ages. Linguistic skills that develop earlier and are more important for earlier phases of reading were predicted to contribute more to the variability of reading achievement at earlier ages (5–7) than at older ages (10–12). Conversely, linguistic skills that develop later and are more important for later phases of reading were predicted to contribute more to the variability in reading achievement at older ages (10–12) than at younger ages (5–7). To test these developmental hypotheses, measures of language skills with different developmental rates were administered to cross-sectional samples of disabled and nondisabled readers at three mean ages: 5.5, 8.5, and 11 years. Reading group differences were apparent at each age on measures assumed to develop earlier, thus failing to confirm the first prediction. However, these measures may not have been sensitive to linguistic skills important for beginning reading. Reading group differences on measures of later developing language skills were apparent only for older readers, thus confirming the second prediction. The latter age-dependent relationships provided additional evidence for developmental changes in the linguistic correlates of reading achievement.     

Learning from negative outcomes in stuttering therapy: I. Getting off on the wrong foot

Considering the long history of research into stuttering, it is surprising that so little time has been devoted to the study of factors that contribute to the success of therapy. Even less attention has been devoted to uncovering forces that promote poor treatment outcomes. In this article and the companion piece that follows it, an attempt has been made to delineate what may prove to be predictors of unsuccessful therapy. In this first of the two articles, the focus in on the identification of patient, extraclinical, and clinician variables that could act to negate progress during the establishment phase of treatment.     

Teacher attitudes toward stuttering

Attitudes of 100 elementary school teachers toward stuttering were studied using the Teacher Attitudes Toward Stuttering (TATS) Inventory. Teacher attitudes, as indicated by TATS Inventory scores, were compared with teacher knowledge of stuttering, age of teacher, number of years teaching experience, educational level, and whether the teacher had personal experience with a stutterer. Results indicated that significant positive correlations existed between teacher attitudes toward and knowledge of stuttering. Significant negative correlations were demonstrated between teacher attitudes/knowledge of stuttering and the presence of a stuttering child in the classroom. The applicability of the TATS Inventory as a clinical instrument in its current form and the research needed to enhance its flexibility are discussed.     

Effects of subgrouping in stuttering research

The most frequently utilized research design in stuttering research compares stutterers to nonstutterers, with the assumption that stutterers represent a homogeneous group. The present study examines the effects of subgrouping stuttering subjects. Sample populations were randomly selected from a pool of stuttering children, successively increasing the stringency of selection criteria for group membership. The groups were contrasted across five dependent variables. The results indicated that the performance differences between the groups increased as the selection criteria became more stringent. The findings were interpreted as supporting the need to more closely examine the individual differences of stutterers, deviating from the traditional research paradigm.     

Dementia in Parkinson disease: A neuropsychological analysis

An extensive set of neuropsychological measures was administered to 60 Parkinson's disease patients and age-, sex-, and education-matched controls in order to investigate the nature and prevalence of the cognitive deficit in the disease. Parkinsonian patients performed significantly poorer on all measures with the exception of tests for apraxia and object recognition, and on a test of vocabulary knowledge. Discriminant analysis of the test data revealed that over 93% of patients are impaired relative to matched controls, but that assigning a prevalence rate for dementia in the disease may be difficult due to the continuous distribution of cognitive deficits.     

The speech production abilities of stutterers: Recent, ongoing, and future research

Recent and ongoing research into the speech production abilities of stutterers has followed four disparate paths. First, there have been objective studies of physiologic, aerodynamic, and acoustic parameters of stutterers' habitual speech patterns and the patterns they display while speaking in the presence of such novel stimuli as DAF or masking. Second, investigators have undertaken the fiberoptic examination of stutterers' larynges during fluent and stuttered utterances. Third, there have been studies of the speed with which stutterers start and terminate voicing independent of the act of speaking. Finally, there have been investigations of possible perceptible differences between the fluency of stutterers and normal speakers. Each of these four types of research is examined. Tentative conclusions are drawn, and directions for future theorizing and experimentation are suggested.     

A case of adult onset of stuttering

A 36-yr-old adult male was treated for stuttering after a “sudden onset” of disfluency according to the client, 3 yr before. The treatment method and results are described and the “awareness” feature of stuttering onset is discussed.     

Vowel duration in stutterers participating in precision fluency shaping

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which stutters manipulate vowel duration to achieve fluency after participating in Precision Fluency Shaping. Nine stutterers who read an all-voiced sentence fluently before and after therapy were selected for study. Wide-band spectrograms were made of the initial phrase of the sentences, and vowel durations were computed. Results indicated that extended vowel durations were characteristic of the fluency of stutterers posttherapy. The subject that had the highest rate of disfluency after therapy also had the shortest vowel durations. Clinical implications concerning the importance of speech rate during carryover practice are made.     

Syntactic influences on stuttering in young child stutterers

This study examined the location and rate of stuttering in the spontaneous speech of nine young stutterers (4.0–6.6 yr) in relation to certain aspects of syntax. It was designed to answer the following questions: Is there more stuttering at clause onset (boundary) than at other points in the clause? Does the type of clause influence rate of stuttering? Is there more stuttering on complex than on simple sentences? The syntactic analysis defined 10 clause types (seven pertaining to complex sentences and three pertaining to simple sentences); clause boundaries (taking into account “filler” words occuring in such positions); and hierarchical constituent structure within sentences. Stuttering was found with significantly greater frequency at clause boundaries than at internal (nonboundary) positions of clauses. This was apparent for nine of the 10 clause types, the exception being complement clauses. The word “and” at the beginning of simple and complex sentences provoked a high rate of stuttering. The hierarchical structure within the clause did not influence the location of stuttering, and sentence complexity was not a factor in the rate of stuttering.     

Communicative stress and stuttering frequency during normal,whispered, and articulation-without-phonation speech modes

The effect of communicative stress on the frequency of stuttered syllables in 12 adult stutterers reading six different but equivalent passages using normal voicing, whispering, and articulation-without-phonation speech under a stress and a non-stress condition was studied. Although the frequency of stuttering was significantly greater in the normal voicing mode than in the whispering mode and greater in the whispering mode than in the articulation-without-phonation mode, no differences were found between the stress and the nonstress conditions with respect to stuttering.     

Stuttering and fluency: Exclusive events or points on a continuum?

In recent years, several studies have been conducted in which the fluency of stutterers was compared with that of normal speakers. These investigations have been of two basic types, some involving objective measures of physiologic, aerodynamic, or acoustic features of the subjects' fluent speech signal, and others involving experiments performed in which listeners attempted to distinguish the fluency produced by stutterers from that generated by normal speakers. The body of literature pertaining to each of these two types of investigations is reviewed and interpreted. The interpretations offered are then developed in an effort to shed further light on both fluency and stuttering. Implications for further research, as well as for the evaluation, treatment, and post-therapy assessment of stutterers are drawn.