Identification thresholds of nonsense syllables by stutterers

Stutterers react emotionally to syllables they stutter because they experience difficulty in articulating those syllables. The identification thresholds of nonsense syllables containing syllables stuttered by six stutterers were investigated. Four one-syllable stimuli and eight three-syllable stimuli were displayed by a tachistoscope, and the subjects were asked to respond with the syllables. The identification thresholds of one-syllable stimuli were lower than those of three-syllable stimuli, and the identification thresholds of one-syllable stimuli containing stuttered syllables were not higher, but rather lower, than those of one-syllable stimuli which did not contain stuttered syllables. It was concluded that stutterers were generally sensitive to syllables they stutter, and this phenomenon was referred to as perceptual vigilance.