Attentional functions in speech fluency disorders

Abstract

This study focused on attentional functions in fluency disorders. Nine persons who stuttered, eight persons who cluttered, and nine fluent controls, executed a set of attention tasks while psychophysiological indices of activation (heart rate variability and skin conductance) were recorded. The results indicated that the stutter group had a significantly longer response time on the Posner Test of Covert Attention Shifts than the other two groups, and the effect was most obvious when the target appeared in the right visual field. There were no significant differences between groups in the physiological activation as measured by heart rate, skin conductance and heart rate variability. The present results support the hypotheses that stuttering may be associated with impaired skills to focus attention, while cluttering did not seem to be associated with impaired focused attentional skills. However, the sample available within the study period was limited, and due to small samples care should be taken before making firm conclusions.