Shadowed and simple reaction times in stutterers and nonstutterers. 1989

D C Harbison, and R J Porter, and E A Tobey
Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, Louisiana 70148.

Stutterers may experience difficulties in preparing and executing responses. This study investigated these possibilities as well as the possibility that stutterers may experience difficulty in the selection of responses. Two reaction-time tasks were investigated: a shadowing response in which speakers exactly repeated vowel sequences they heard, and a simple response in which speakers said [u] regardless of the identity of the vowel stimulus. Two groups of six adult male subjects, stutterers and nonstutterers, participated. Stimuli consisted of vowel-vowel "syllables" whose initial duration (response foreperiod) was randomly varied from 500 to 1500 ms. Electromyographic (EMG) and acoustic measures were obtained for each response condition. The EMG response latencies, acoustic response latencies, and execution times (EMG latency less the acoustic response latency) were examined for the fluent responses. Results indicated stutterers were, on average, 34 ms slower on acoustic responses than nonstutterers regardless of the task or foreperiod. However, stutterers' and nonstutterers' EMG latencies were not significantly different. Further analysis indicated that the overall slower acoustic responses of stutterers were accounted for almost entirely by longer execution times. Stutterers' difficulties thus appear to lie after response initiation suggesting they have problems in coordination of gestures during execution of fluent responses.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D011930 Reaction Time The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed. Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D001306 Auditory Pathways NEURAL PATHWAYS and connections within the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, beginning at the hair cells of the ORGAN OF CORTI, continuing along the eighth cranial nerve, and terminating at the AUDITORY CORTEX. Auditory Pathway,Pathway, Auditory,Pathways, Auditory
D013060 Speech Communication through a system of conventional vocal symbols. Public Speaking,Speaking, Public
D013342 Stuttering A disturbance in the normal fluency and time patterning of speech that is inappropriate for the individual's age. This disturbance is characterized by frequent repetitions or prolongations of sounds or syllables. Various other types of speech dysfluencies may also be involved including interjections, broken words, audible or silent blocking, circumlocutions, words produced with an excess of physical tension, and monosyllabic whole word repetitions. Stuttering may occur as a developmental condition in childhood or as an acquired disorder which may be associated with BRAIN INFARCTIONS and other BRAIN DISEASES. (From DSM-IV, 1994) Stammering,Stuttering, Acquired,Stuttering, Adult,Stuttering, Childhood,Stuttering, Developmental,Stuttering, Familial Persistent 1,Acquired Stuttering,Adult Stuttering,Childhood Stuttering,Developmental Stuttering

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