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Adults who stutter: responses to cognitive stress
A J Caruso1, W J Chodzko-Zajko, D A Bidinger
1Kent State University, Orofacial Motor Control Lab, School of Speech Pathology and Audiology, OH 44242-0001.
Journal of Speech and Hearing Research
|August 1, 1994
Summary
Cognitive stress and speed significantly impact stutterers' speech, increasing dysfluencies and temporal disruptions more than in non-stutterers. This highlights the role of cognitive load in stuttering.
Area of Science:
- Speech and Hearing Science
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Stuttering affects articulatory coordination.
- Cognitive stress is known to impact speech production.
- The Stroop Color Word task is a validated measure of cognitive stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how speed and cognitive stress affect articulatory coordination in adults who stutter.
- To compare stutterers and non-stutterers under varying cognitive loads.
- To explore the relationship between autonomic responses and stuttering behavior.
Main Methods:
- Collected cardiovascular, behavioral, and acoustic measures from nine stutterers and nine non-stutterers.
- Utilized the Stroop Color Word task to induce cognitive stress.
- Assessed speech under conditions of speed stress, speed plus cognitive stress, and self-paced reading.
Main Results:
- Stutterers exhibited significantly higher heart rate, word duration, vowel duration, speech rate, and response latency compared to non-stutterers.
- Stutterers produced more dysfluencies under combined speed and cognitive stress.
- Temporal disruptions and dysfluencies increased in stutterers with cognitive stress, but spatial impairments were not observed.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive stress exacerbates temporal disruptions and dysfluencies in adults who stutter.
- The Stroop paradigm is a valuable tool for studying stuttering under stress.
- Further research into the autonomic nervous system's role in stuttering is warranted.