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Explicit and Implicit Verbal Response Inhibition in Preschool-Age Children Who Stutter
Julie D Anderson1, Stacy A Wagovich2
1Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to examine (a) explicit and implicit verbal response inhibition in preschool children who do stutter (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) and (b) the relationship between response inhibition and language skills.
Method:
Participants were 41 CWS and 41 CWNS between the ages of 3;1 and 6;1 (years;months). Explicit verbal response inhibition was measured using a computerized version of the grass-snow task (Carlson & Moses, 2001), and implicit verbal response inhibition was measured using the baa-meow task. Main dependent variables were reaction time and accuracy.
Results:
The CWS were significantly less accurate than the CWNS on the implicit task, but not the explicit task. The CWS also exhibited slower reaction times than the CWNS on both tasks. Between-group differences in performance could not be attributed to working memory demands. Overall, children's performance on the inhibition tasks corresponded with parents' perceptions of their children's inhibition skills in daily life.
Conclusions:
CWS are less effective and efficient than CWNS in suppressing a dominant response while executing a conflicting response in the verbal domain.