A study of the self-talk of adults who do and do not stutter

This is a preliminary investigation of the differences in positive and negative self-talk reported by groups of people who do and do not stutter. 10 people who stutter, all who had experience with stuttering therapy, were matched with 10 participants who did not stutter. Each participant, in both groups, was engaged in a session to evaluate speech in a format similar to a professional diagnostic session for stuttering. Each participant was asked to stop at specific times during the session and describe thoughts of that moment as either positive or negative. This procedure is similar to thought sampling and in vivo cognitive assessment used in cognitive-behavioral treatments and research. The participants' reports were taken during a baseline period, during a period in which they were thinking about their speech, and during three different speaking tasks. The reports given by the group of people who stutter were compared to the reports given by the group of individuals who did not stutter. Statistical analyses showed no differences between the thoughts reported by the two groups during the entire session, and no differences between groups during the three separate tasks (baseline, thinking about their speech, and the speaking tasks). Possible explanations and suggestions for research are discussed.