Perceptual, Acoustic, and Kinematic Effects of Sentence-Initial, Single-Phoneme Prolongation in People Who Do and Do Not Stutter
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: This study examined a sentence-initial one-second sound prolongation as a possible fluency-inducing condition in people who stutter. The effects of this prolongation technique on the single sentence utterances of five people who stutter (PWS) and five age- and gender-matched controls were investigated. Variables tested included stuttering percentages, speaking rate, duration of phonated intervals, and correlation between upper lip and lower lip/jaw. Results showed a non-significant trend for less stuttering to occur when participants used the prolongation technique. Significant findings included longer durations of phonated intervals and more negatively correlated upper- and lower-lip movements during the prolongation condition. Rate of speech was not affected. These findings suggest that the prolongation technique caused measurable changes in speech motor control, possibly leading to greater fluency for PWS.
Author: Darrell Sharp Matthews
Institution: Brigham Young University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W801398237