REDUCED AUDITORY FEEDBACK AND STUTTERING

Twelve male stutterers read aloud for a period of 120 sec, under each of five experimental conditions. The amount of auditory feedback (AFB) available to the subject was varied in each of these conditions by the presentation of masking noise for different periods of the total reading time. From the AFB hypothesis of stuttering it was predicted that speech fluency would increase (i.e. stuttering would decrease) as the amount of AFB available decreased. The correct word rate data obtained from the experimental conditions supported this prediction, there being a proportionate increase in fluency as the amount of AFB was decreased from 100 to 75, 50, 25 and 0 per cent of the total reading time. It was further predicted that in the 50 per cent AFB condition, stuttering would be eliminated during periods of reduced AFB, but would remain unchanged during periods of normal AFB. The obtained results showed a significant reduction in stuttering, in the predicted direction. © 1969.