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Shadowed and simple reaction times in stutterers and nonstutterers
D C Harbison1, R J Porter, E A Tobey
1Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, Louisiana 70148.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|October 1, 1989
Summary
Adult stutterers exhibit slower speech execution times, not response initiation delays. This suggests coordination difficulties during fluent speech production in stuttering.
Area of Science:
- Speech motor control
- Neuroscience of stuttering
Background:
- Stuttering is often associated with difficulties in speech production.
- Previous research suggests potential issues in response preparation, selection, or execution for individuals who stutter.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate response preparation, selection, and execution in adult stutterers.
- To differentiate between response initiation and response execution timing in stuttering.
Main Methods:
- Two reaction-time tasks (shadowing and simple response) were used.
- Electromyographic (EMG) and acoustic measures assessed response latencies.
- Stimuli included vowel-vowel syllables with varied response foreperiods.
Main Results:
- Stutterers showed significantly slower acoustic responses (34 ms) compared to nonstutterers.
- No significant differences were found in EMG response latencies between groups.
- Slower acoustic responses in stutterers were primarily due to longer execution times.
Conclusions:
- Stutterers' speech timing deficits are mainly related to the execution phase, not the initiation.
- Difficulties in coordinating articulatory gestures during speech execution may underlie stuttering.
