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Effects of sentence-structure complexity on speech initiation time and disfluency
Jim Tsiamtsiouris1, Helen Smith Cairns
1Department of Communication Disorders, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA. tsiamtsiourisj@wpunj.edu
Journal of Fluency Disorders
|April 2, 2013
Summary
Sentence complexity impacts speech production in adults who stutter. High structural complexity increased disfluencies in stuttering speakers, though speech initiation time was not significantly affected by complexity or group.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Stuttering is influenced by multiple factors, including language formulation and speech motor control.
- The precise impact of these factors on stuttering remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if high structural sentence complexity increases processing costs for adults who stutter compared to fluent adults.
- To test the hypothesis that sentence complexity affects speech production.
Main Methods:
- Fluent adults and adults who stutter memorized and produced sentences of low or high structural complexity.
- Speech initiation time and disfluency rates were measured.
Main Results:
- Both groups initiated sentences faster for low complexity than high complexity.
- Adults who stutter were generally slower in speech initiation than fluent speakers.
- Adults who stutter produced more disfluencies in high complexity sentences compared to low complexity sentences.
Conclusions:
- Sentence structural complexity significantly affects speech production in adults who stutter, specifically increasing disfluencies.
- While speech initiation time was affected by complexity, the interaction between group and complexity was not significant.
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